Chase of Tales
by Oblivion-Time
Summary: Resbang 2015. As a young child, Maka dreamt of adventures and piracy. Guided by her dreams she joined Shibusen, ruled under the sinister thumb of Captain Soul Eater. Caught in a deadly race with the ship Arachnophobia, all chasing the legendary Oni's Treasure, where only one can claim the first true pirate's riches.
1. Prologue

I am very pleased to present you with my one and only Resbang entry for 2015! This fic will last the entire year. I shouldn't be making jokes now.

I want to thank my betas meisterkasper and rbkninja Tumblr for assisting me with their minds and eyes. I also want to thank the Resbang mods for being adorable and arranging such an amazing event for writers and artists to come together and make something beautiful together.

And the most important person, I want to thank my artist GunningTwice Tumblr for producing such fine art for my story. You all should go and check it out because she's an amazing artist and damn I love her art so much! The cover is made by GunningTwice Tumblr

* * *

 **Prologue**

His tail splashed in the water. He rested on a flat rock as he watched the sun slowly rising and greeting the flora and animals good morning. Bright orange coloured the sky as half of the sun was visible in the horizon.

Would this be the day?

His gaze was transfixed on the morning sun, hoping a silhouette would come. His nails dug into the flat rocky surface as he slowly sat up. The half sun grew in size and soon, the perfect circular sun was visible.

His eyes fluttered shut and he flopped against the rock.

Today wasn't the day.

He'd been waiting for centuries.

He would continue waiting until the ship returned.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The young woman sighed heavily as she leaned against the burgundy brick wall of the alley. Her arms crossed over her covered chest and the tip of her black leather shoes tapped an irregular rhythm on the dirty ground. Her green eyes stayed locked on the spot where the ground met the wall.

Footsteps caught her attention and immediately her taping came to an end. From around the corner a man with a long black coat with golden buttons and hems appeared. His coat covered a strong leather belt and at his side was the golden hilt of a sword in its holder.

A soft gasp sounds from the woman as her eyes lock with deep red eyes. Eyes just as red as dried blood.

"Captain Eater." She whispered as the heavy boots from the pirate neared her. "You got my letter."

"Listen." His voice was as deep as a well and rough as if he had gravel in his throat. " _Maka_ , if 'hat is even yer name." Her eyes widen when the pirate suddenly drew his sword and the pointy end aimed at her. "Threaten me, and ye're a man without a head."

"Huh?!" Her hands flew up in the air in submission. "Captain Eater, I didn't mean to intimidate you!"

"Intimidate?" His eyebrows narrowed as the sharp end of his sword pressed against her throat. "I'm Captain Soul Eater of ship Shibusen. I've sailed the seven seas for years. I've stared death in 'he eyes and ye think _ye intimidated me?!_ "

"I apologize Captain!" Maka exclaimed and kept her hands high. "I'm sorry for threatening and offending you! My intentions were never to mock you in any way!" There was a sharp pain when the sword broke skin and she bit her lower lip to swallow down a whimper. Warm liquid ran down her neck and down into her white shirt.

"Then what intentions do ye have? To call me here and then leavin' black ink at the bottom of the page." He sneered at her.

Her eyes fluttered with confusion.

The blank ink. When she wrote the message the other day at the port's local bar, a drunken man had accidentally stumbled into her and the black ink from the quill had sprayed over the bottom of the page.

"I apologize for the messy letter. I didn't mean to leave those stains on the page. I'm sorry if they offended y―"

"Cough it up, lad!" He hollered and bared triangular teeth that shone in the darkness of the alley. Sharp and could be used as a deadly weapon if needed.

"I want to join your crew of pirates." Maka confessed.

The pirate Captain's eyes widened before they fluttered for a second with confusion. A large smirk grew on his face before a hearty laugh shook his chest. "Harr, ah lad!" He chuckled and removed his sword from her long neck.

Instantly her hand cupped her neck and her blood smeared on her hand. "Captain Eater…?" She carefully asked.

"Ye're killin' me, lad!" Slowly his laughter came to an end and he supported his weight on his sword as if it was a cane. "Ye? In _me_ crew? Never gonna happen."

"Huh?!" She huffed and straightened her back from the wall. "I insist Captain! I'm an excellent swordsman and I'm a quick learner and I can become an imp―"

"Lad, no, I'm not goin' to take in a scrawny sprog on me ship. Ye would be killed within minutes."

Maka's eyes narrowed and stared the pirate Captain dead in his eyes. The fear she had for the Captain she forcefully swallowed down. "Captain Eater, you must take me in. My dream has always been to become a loyal member of your crew. I swear you wouldn't regret it."

"What's 'hat? Ye tryin' to persuade _a pirate Captain_ into pitting ye? Lad, I don't need a scrawny sprog with _emotions_ on me ship." He turned on his heel and gave her his back, ending the conversation.

Maka bit her lower lip as she watched the man leave the alley.

She kneeled and retrieved her discarded green leather bag from the ground and swung it over her shoulder. Her hand settled on her black hat and made sure no strand of her hair was visible.

She's going on that ship if that is the last thing she does.

Immediately she ran out of the alley and down to the port. Ships of various kinds were docked with sailors, businessmen and fishers either working on their ships, talking to their crew or making business with the citizens. Maka didn't give the people around her any attention, except for the figure in the distance; the one with a long black coat.

Maka ducked down to blend better into the crowd. Through the small glimpses the moving crowd provided for her, she stalked the pirate along the port. The passing men and women dressed in coats and long dresses eyed her oddly before they dismissed her as she slowly followed her hopefully future Captain. Her shoulders bumped into the legs of the citizen as she caught sight of a man with abnormal blue hair waving toward the Captain.

"Ahoy Captain!" On the ship was a man with bright blue hair in a dark blue vest waving toward his captain. "Clay an' Akane just fully loaded the supplies an' Sid an' Ox checked the sails an' they're ready to dock."

The ship Shibusen was something special indeed. Proudly she conquered the waves assaulting the wooden surface and her glorious masts rose higher than any mast at the dock. The three canon windows on her starboard were covered and Jolly Roger was nowhere to be seen. The edges of her were beautifully decorated with the finest sculptures of mermaids and waves. At the very front of the ship was a mermaid with long hair separating at each side of the ship and her most likely goddess-like face was covered with a skull mask, in facts, all the mermaids were covered with skull masks.

"Good. We'll set sail immediately." Captain Soul Eater boarded his ship and the man with shocking blue hair grabbed a hold of the bridge between the ship and the dock. Instantly a male with dark skin and braided hair came to his aid, both of them hauled the bridge from the port. For every pull, they groaned loudly. There was no time for rest for the blue pirate, instantly he started to untie the knots holding the ship at the port as the braided pirate ran out of her sight.

There was no way getting on Shibusen would be easy.

Her eyes fluttered to the very back of the ship where two lifeboats were strapped high above the water. Between the lifeboats and the dock were about eight yards and the boats were higher up than the dock. With a large coloured window of all different colours and motives was a large obstacle.

It was her only chance at getting on that ship.

Her arm crossed over her stomach and she drew her swords. The sun made the metal surface shone brightly. Wind caressed her naked cheeks as she pulled down her hat lower on her head. Her legs separated and she rocked back and forth on her heels to her toes.

One. She rose on her toes.

Two. Her weight travelled to her heels. The citizens on the port watched her carefully.

Three!

Quickly her weight shifted and she took five mighty and quick steps before she threw herself from the dock. She soared through the air toward the ship and the lifeboats went higher as she lowered.

Her swords sunk into the surface of Shibusen and her feet settled on the surface.

Maka bit her lower lip and looked at the places where her swords broke through Shibusen. She hoped her Captain wouldn't be too mad knowing she stabbed his beloved ship. "Sorry." She whispered as she retrieved one sword and forcefully pushed it through the wood higher up. Cautiously she pressed her body against the frame of Shibusen, afraid someone could see her through the window. She repeated the pattern as she climbed higher and higher up toward the life boat. The ship started to leave the dock as she kept climbing and slowly she was being brought away with the pirates.

Her hand lashed onto the edge of the life boat and she quickly removed the plastic coverage. She dived into the boat head first and sighed with relief.

Mission accomplished.

Her swords returned in their holders and she took off her bag.

Now she only had to convince the Captain of keeping her. Easy. Or not.

A deep sigh escaped her lips as she lay on the ground of the wooden boat with the plastic cover on. The waves collided with Shibusen and it proved to sooth her mind.

This was what she'd been dreaming of. Being surrounded by the sea and smelling the salt from the water and hearing the waves play. Hear the sound of ropes shrieking as pirates raised the sails and hollered orders. She hadn't expected joining a pirate crew would be as difficult as it proved to be.

Her eyes fluttered closed and as put her bag under her head to act as a pillow. All she could do was wait until Shibusen was far out on the sea so it would be a nuisance to return to the port.

Either they were going to accept her, or they would feed her to the fishes, there was no in between. Her dream of becoming a pirate was worth dying for.

Slowly she was rocked into a deep sleep while listening to the waves crashing into Shibusen's strong body.

* * *

Plastic rustled and a bright light assaulted her newly awoken eyes. A groan escaped her throat as she covered the sun with her hand.

"Intruder!"

Maka gasped loudly when a hand latched onto her wrist and yanked her up from the boat. Instantly she was met with the disgusting breath of a man with a blue bandana around his head. His breath hit her cheek and the stench of spoiled fish and beans stung her nostrils.

"Black*Star! I found 'he intruder!" The man's deep voice alerted the crew and instantly footsteps rapidly hit the deck and voices followed.

"An intruder?" A male with strange two dark pillars on his bald head yelled from the top of the main mast.

"Bilge Ox! I told ye to keep an eye out!" The male with the braids barked toward the male climbing down from the mast.

"Nobody boarded 'he ship! I watched everybody like a hawk!" The strange man with the strange hairstyle barked at the man.

Every pirate on the ship gathered from every direction. A hatchet on the lower deck opened and males appeared while the man with the strange hairstyle rapidly climbed down the net. The blue-haired man appeared from the front of the ship and he was the first one to run up the stairs to the rear end. Quickly the others followed and when the blue-haired man came to an abrupt stop four yards away from her, all the other came crashing into him and in front of her was a pile of cursing pirates.

Her capturer locked her neck to his chest. Her hands held his large arm with her smaller hands and tried to pry away his arm from her neck, but the pirate was well-build and large in size, he was clearly superior.

"Let go!" Maka growled and clawed her nails at his exposed tanned arm as she struggled in the man's iron-grip, but it was to no avail. His arm were untouchable with his arm locked her neck to his chest and her waist to his hips.

"Captain Eater!" The male with the disgusting breath yelled in her ear loudly.

The sound of the heels of the Pirate Captain's boots made the pile of pirate stop fighting and immediately they untangled themselves from one another and stood up with their clothes a wrinkled mess, not that they weren't wrinkled and dirty before.

Captain Eater went up the stairs to the upper level of the ship and instantly her eyes locked with his red ones, they widened to the size of carriage wheels.

"Ye?!" He exclaimed. "What in the name of Shinigami are ye doin' here, Sprog?!" The pirates parted like the red sea and he went passed them and up toward Maka. "I told ye there is no place for a sprog on me ship!"

"And I told you" Maka growled as she twisted in the pirates grip, "this is my dream. I'm not a going to quit just because it gets rough."

The red eyes of the pirate Captain widened before he masked it by narrowing his eyebrows. "Ye." He bared his razor sharp teeth. "Has he damaged Shibusen?"

The man with the smelly breath nodded his head against by her temple. "Aye, Captain. I found holes in the rear of the ship. They led up to the life boat and that's where I found him."

Captain Eater's mouth tightened into a thin line. "Are they severe to Shibusen's condition?"

"No Captain. They are temporary covered and I'll repair them when ye wish." A shudder of disgust creeped up her spine at the heat from his breath. The smell of his breath made her breakfast rise in her throat.

"Well then." The wind caressed her cheek as Captain Eater slowly pulled his sword from its metal holder. "Release him. I'll feed his soul to Shinigami."

Her eyes widened to double their size. Was he going to kill her without even as much as a thought of taking her in? There was no way she would die without a fight.

The pirate behind her lowered his arms toward her belt. Quickly she drew her swords from their holders and she whirled around with her leg and planted her heel in his jaw. He grunted in pain and stumbled backwards. The pirate backed away with his hand cupping his jaw. His dark eyes fired with anger and he bared his yellow teeth.

"You little―"

"Don't." Maka's eyes snapped toward the pirate Captain holding his sword. "All of you go downstairs."

"But C―" The pirate instantly started to protest.

"I said," his red eyes darkened and his eyes narrowed. The air suddenly turned cool as if the sun had disappeared and only darkness existed. "Go. Downstairs." His voice dropped into a deadly tone, which made her bones shake in fear. Just because the Captain spoke two simple world.

The pirate was just as affected as her, if not more. His knees quivered with fright and quickly, he threw himself down the stairs, stumbling on his feet and the rest of the pirates were right behind him.

Captain Eater returned his attention toward her and she could feel how the air around her turned colder. The wind was no longer soothing her, but clawing at her cheeks and bit at her exposed neck.

She swallowed hard and inhaled deeply. This wasn't the time for her to be scared. She needed to be courageous and beat him, or else she would end up at the bottom of the ocean.

The heel of his boots clicked on the floor of Shibusen as he neared her. His eyes blazed like fire and the shadow casted on his eyes from his hat made him look demonic.

A gasp tore at her throat when he swung his sword at her side. She parried it and quickly both of them leapt to the other side of the ship.

Silence. Her pulse rapidly beat loudly in her head. The crew on Shibusen stared at them with wide eyes.

He struck his sword at her, she tilted her head and it went right by her ear. Maka stumbled on her feet as she escaped to the other side.

"You got good reflexes, Sprog." The Captain smirked wide and twirled his sword playfully around his index and long finger while his other hand casually rested on his hip. "Not bad for a landlubber."

His body language. He was _mocking_ her. Lowering his guard and playing macho for his crew.

"T-Thank you Captain." She stuttered.

"I'm no Captain of yers." He grabbed a hold of his sword and separated his feet into a fighting stance. "To ye, I am the fearful pirate Captain of the sea, Soul Eater."

Maka shook her head. "No, I might not be an official member of your crew, and I'm sorry for disrespecting you, but you will always be my Captain, Captain Eater."

His eyes narrowed into silvers and blazed like fiery coals. A snarl escaped his mouth as he lunged for her, he repeatedly tried to stab her. For every assault his blade made, she blocked and backpedalled. His attacks were rapid and clever, leaving no opening for her to counter. His sword scratched her left bicep and she winched in pain. She gasped when his sword aimed for her skull. The sound of fabric tearing filled her ears as the sword went through her hat. He retrieved his sword and the hat followed. Her blond hair poured around her shoulders and the clip on the back of her head glistered in the sun.

Captain Eater's eyes widen and the crew gasped.

"A woman?!" The man with the bad breath covered his mouth as he stared at her.

"Shiver me timbers! He's a _girl?!_ " The blue haired man exclaimed as his jaw hit the floor.

"How could a _woman_ parry the Captain's attacks so well?" Spoke the male with the braids. The crew was in shock, completely taken back by the sight of their Captain fighting an equal fight against a woman.

"Ye're a woman." Captain Eaters spoke, his face neutral. "Ye _pretended_ to be a man, ye _dressed up_ as a man and _tried_ to join a pirate crew. _Ye. A woman._ "

Maka bit her lower lip and gripped the hilts of her swords. "I won't deny it."

"No shit. Ye're busted."

"I wouldn't have done all those things if you pirates weren't hostile toward female pirates!" Maka exclaimed and the whispers down below stopped. She earned all of the pirates' attention. Captain Eater stared at her as he pulled her hat off his sword and it hit the ground. "You simply reject women because all we're good for is sewing and cooking when we are just as capable as men―"

"That's a lie!" Exclaimed the man with the blue hair.

"It's not!" This time, she was the one attacking him. Their swords collided and his eyes grew wide in shock at the sudden intensity in her eyes. "Because I was born a woman you automatically think I can't fight!" Her swords aimed at him from every direction, high, low, right, left, she attacked him swiftly and he was the one forced to backpedal.

Maka's eyebrows shot up to her hairline when her left sword broke through his defence and wounded the side of his thigh. Blood stained her sword and quickly blood coloured his thigh.

She got him.

His sword came at her which she blocked with both of hers. He wasn't backpedalling anymore. He wasn't simply blocking her attacks. Now he was counterattacking and it was more of an equal fight than it had ever been.

They traded blows. First attacking, blocking and then counterattacking. His sword graced her right thigh and left shoulder, while she stabbed his shoulder.

Captain Eater growled and his sword attacked her from above. She created an X with her swords and blocked his attack. Maka gasped and his hand grabbed a hold of her throat. His grip on her throat hardened and cut off her breathing. Her sword slipped from her hand and clattered on the ground. Her hands clung to his hand, tried to chip for air, but none slipped through his grip. His sword hit the ground and black spots danced in her vision.

Was this the end? Was this how she was going to die?

No. This couldn't be. She was still not a pirate.

She kicked him between his legs. He howled in pain and both of them went tumbling down on the ground. Her head hit hard on the ground and she inhaled loudly, breathing had never felt as good as now. Carefully she touched her sore throat.

Captain Eater growled loudly, threw himself on top of her. In the blink of an eye, his legs pinner her waist to the floor and his sword pressed against her throat. He supported himself on his hand next to her head. He breathed deeply as sweat had formed on his forehead.

Even though everything she'd done, she failed.

Her breath came heavily as they stared into each other's eyes. His eyes weren't cold and sinister like they were earlier. Instead they were blank, revealing none of his thoughts or emotions. His sword simply rested against her throat, never added strength for his sword to cut through her skin.

"This morning," Captain Eater begun, "ye told me ye were an excellent swordsman. I didn't believe ye then, but ye got some skills."

"Thank you Captain." She whispered as she stared into his eyes.

He silenced. The sword disappeared from her throat and he stood up on his feet. The sword shrieked again as he put it back in its holder. "Ye got some fire in ye. I could use a swashbuckler like ye." Their eyes locked and his face stayed neutral. "Welcome to the crew, Sprog." His mantle swayed as he turned around and limped down the stairs to the main level.

Maka's breath was caught in her throat as she saw her Captain disappear and heard his crew question his decision.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

At first, it'd been incredible and unbelievable. She was finally _a pirate_ , a true pirate. The relief, glory and happiness washed over her and she couldn't help smiling wide as she watched _her_ Captain descend the stairs.

Then she was introduced to her sleeping quarter.

Captain Eater hadn't lied about the ship being full, the crews sleeping stations were occupied and the blue haired man, Black*Star, right-hand-man of Captain Eater, led her to the front of the ship and opened a hatchet. They descended and immediately she was hit with heat trapped in the lower deck and the stark scent of gunpowder stung her nose worse than a stinger. She followed Black*Star with her hand covering her nose to the rear of the ship where wooden barrels were strapped to the wall, sacks piled to the roof. Next to it was a wooden bucket with a cloth along with a brush.

In the corner of the room was a little space enough for a human of her size. Above her was a small glass window where she could see the horizon and the waves playfully knocked at each other.

The night was cold and the floor she slept on was hard. Her bag acted as a pillow and she curled up on the floor in order to keep warm.

When she imagined being a pirate, she pictured drunken pirates draped their arms around each other's shoulders, singing pirate songs to the moon. A bonfire would be lit and there would be a pirate strumming on the guitar as pirates danced with hocked arms. Claps would fill the air along the laughs from the pirates. A family not by blood, but by looting, fighting and sailing.

That night at dinner, there were no songs or dancing. Instead she was met with cold judgemental glares. She got her bowl of canned beans and took a seat on a log beside the pirate with the strange pillars on his temples, who quickly slid away from her, pushing away the braided pirates in order to make as much air between him and her.

That wasn't what she'd imagined.

Cold water assaulted her skin and instantly, her eyes opened and her back straightened. Eyelids struggled to open and she found herself focusing on pair of brown boots in front of her. Eyes wandered up dirtied black pants and settled on the eyes of Black*Star.

"Get up." Roughly he informed. His chilling sapphire eyes as cold as ice sent shivers down her spine. "Breakfast." The wooden bucket banged on the ground and he slammed the door shut behind him.

She groaned tiredly and rubbed her eyes.

Another day at the boat.

Maka got up from the ground, strapped her belt with her swords around her hips, rolled up her hair and put on her patched-up hat. She retrieved her sword and used the surface as a mirror to make sure no hair strands were visible. Her hand tugged away some rogue hair strands from her bangs and returned the sword in its holder.

The floorboards underneath her boots creaked and the waves soothingly bumped into Shibusen. She exited the storage room and closed the door after her. Then she passed the canons strapped to the wall along with its tools and equipment before she reached the stairs. The hatchet shrieked and the sun instantly blinded her eyes, forcing her to cover the sun as she made it up to the main level.

"Finally!"

The hatchet closed and she saw the whole crew standing around the pot where a fire was already lit, but it wasn't what caught her attention. Black*Star along with the rest of the pirates, she still didn't know their names, stood with their arms crossed. There wasn't the smell of canned beans or tomato soup, no smell of any food at all.

"It suddenly struck me," Black*Star spoke as if he solved the mystery of the sea and he gestured his hand toward his head, "just like 'hat." A smirk grew on his face and he exposed his teeth toward her. "Ye're a woman. We shouldn't be dealing with these things."

A pirate next to Black*Star, a pirate with weird towers of hair on his bald head, threw a large spoon on the ground. "Good luck, lass."

The pirates moved away from the pot toward the upper level where the steering wheel was located at. "Oh," Black*Star turned around casually as his hand rested on the railing. "Captain's waiting for his breakfast. It's supposed to be served now."

Her mouth dropped as Black*Star returned to climb the stairs and joined the other in the crew above the Captain's Cabin. Her tooth bit into her lower lip and her hands balled into fists.

Her dream of piracy wasn't near the reality aboard Shibusen. Her captain hadn't spoken a single word or even glanced at her since the day he accepted her on his ship and the rest of the crew treated her like dirt on their shoe. Captain Eater made it clear there was no room for her on his ship, but he took her in anyway and now he didn't check on her, or the crew. She was going to show them she could be an excellent pirate.

Maka picked up the spoon from the ground and headed toward the pot. There were unopened cans and different kind of herbs. She moved the metal plate under the pot and made a circle with the rocks like she'd seen the pot the other day at dinner. She neatly placed the wood under the pot and lit a fire. With the help of her sword, she opened the cans which proved to be tomato soup and poured it into the pot. Maka smelled the various kinds of herbs, some she recognised from home and some were strange to her. She decided to stick with the ones familiar to her.

Laughter erupted and her head snapped toward the laughing pirates. Pirates were slapping their knees, tumbling to the ground hugging their stomachs. Black*Star stood up and had his hands clasped together and his eyelashes fluttered fast. Her ears could not quite catch on the words he uttered, but his pitch was higher than usual and his voice shrill.

His eyes. His hands. His voice. It all came together when Black*Star curtseyed. He was making fun of her.

She lowered her head as she slowly stirred the spoon in the pot. Her eyes fell on the dark red colour of the soup and at the centre where the liquid circled around. The sweet aroma of the soup tickled her nose and the slight steam from the soup told her the soup was ready to be served.

She picked up a wooden bowl along with a wooden spoon and poured the liquid into it. Maka brought the spoon to her lips, lightly blew on the surface before she slurped the soup into her mouth. Her tongue rolled around the smooth texture of the soup. Spicy. Gingery. Perfect heat. It's better than the food the other pirates had cooked. Maybe she could buy her way into the crew through their stomac―

A door slammed open.

Her eyes quickly snapped toward the Captain's Cabin where Captain Eater had his right foot up in the air and his hands balled into fists. His eyebrows narrowed and anger boiled in his eyes.

"Son of a biscuit eater! Sprog!" His voice silenced the crew a level higher as Captain Eater stormed toward Maka, his heels stomping loudly. "Ye're supposed 'o _share!"_

Her eyes fluttered with confusion at him as he quickly neared her. "What?"

"Ye can't hog all the food!" He growled and exposed his razor sharp teeth threateningly. "I knew I should've given yer soul to Shinigami!"

"What?!" Instantly Maka rose on her feet and the bowl of soup left her hand and clattered to the ground, red liquid splattered on the floor. "I scrub the floors every day and I clean your dirty clothes―" She straightened her back, pierced his red eyes with her own. His face stayed impersonal as he stared back into her eyes."― and I stand the shit all of you throw at me!"

"Poor ye fucking sprog!" He spat insults at her like knifes as their foreheads almost touch. Captain Eater glared down at her as she almost rose on her toes. "That's the life of the pirate! Didn't ye want to be a pirate?!"

"Yes!" Maka hissed. "But I demand respect from you and the crew! You haven't looked at me and―"

"What have ye done to earn me respect?!" He screamed right in her face and she backpedalled. "Sprogs don't deserve any respect! All ye are are scurvy landlubber! Ye don't deserve to sleep on me ship! Ye don't deserve to share our food." Maka's hand flung up to her chest as if his words stabbed her. "Ye don't deserve to call yerself a member of me crew!" Maka took a step backwards. Captain Eater took one forward. "Ye don't deserve to scrub Shibusen's floors!" Maka's back hit the railing of Shibusen and Captain Eater captured her with his tall broad body. His dark eyes lit up in the darkness his hat casted over his eyes, chilling and burning into the very core of her body. "Ye're unworthy landlubber which could never deserve any respect or recognition from me or me crew."

Maka's nails dug into her shirt, her nails marking her palms with half-moons. Her eyes suddenly pricked with tears and her heart sunk to her stomach. "I'm not a landlubber." She could only respond pitifully without a shred of the courage she showed when they last spoke.

Captain Eater snorted. "Then how 'bout I demote ye into the boy's love toy and personal slave. That would be more fitting for scurvy sprog like ye."

Slave? Who performed sexual services?

Her tears heated up and she squeezed her eyes shut.

She drew the line.

Instantly her hands went for her swords, but only one sword she grasped. Her right hand caught air and her eyes focused on her Captain, now standing two yards away from her with _her_ sword in his hand. His eyes were silvers as he pointed the sword toward her.

"Ye dare challenging me again?" He growled like a predator just about to bounce on its prey, but Maka had no intentions at ending it like their previous fight. Now it was her who would come out on top.

"How dare I?" She clenched the sword in her hand. "Because I'm not about to become a sex slave without putting up a fight!"

And she leapt.

Their swords collided once again. Maka swung her sword recklessly at her Captain, holding nothing back. She was beyond tired of the crew and her Captain's attitude toward her. Simply because she wasn't born a man, she wasn't accepted therefore treated with cold-shoulders and was walked over on daily basis. This was her chance to prove herself worthy to be an equal to the crew.

The metal clashed loudly and the attacks were faster than before. Maka let out a battle cry as she stabbed her sword at him. He tilted his head and the sword passed his ear. Instantly she changed her course and slashed at his head. His eyes widened slightly and ' _ritch'_ his hat was split in two and white hair strands descending to the floor. If he was mad before, he was enraged now.

His sword hit her repeatedly without any break or letting down his guard. Last fight was strategically compared to their fight now, it was pure instinctual madness. There was nothing existing except their swords and their foe.

"Sail ho!"

Maka's eyes opened wider with shock and Soul's followed hers. They swords created a cross and both of them looked over toward the man with towers as hair on his temples. He held a spyglass to his eye.

"What?!" Soul exclaimed and backpedalled. "Are they friendly?"

Before he finished his sentence, the pirate was already shaking his head. "They hissed Jolly Roger an' the windows to their cannons are opened."

"Bloody hell!" He cursed and immediately stormed toward the man. "Harvar, Akane and Clay prepare the cannons, Sid prepare for damage control, and Black*Star lock Sprog in 'he storage. Ye other prepare for battle!"

"What?!" Maka exclaims as Black*Star headed toward her. "You're just going to lock me away?! I could help you―" She gasped when Black*Star gripped her hand and took her sword. Roughly he tugged at her bicep and pulled her toward the hatchet. "Are you seriously going to―"

"Shut yer trap." Black*Star growled through his teeth. "Don't 'e a hassle or I could get the nine tails."

The men ran around the deck, gathering swords and preparing for the battle that would soon start― a loud bang and she saw a cannon ball rapidly soaring through the air toward Shibusen.

She gasped when Black*Star suddenly pushed her and she fell down the hatchet. She tumbled down the ladder and hit the ground hard, the air forcefully repelled from her lungs. Black*Star landed beside her and he grabbed her creamy white shirt and started to drag her toward the storage. The men her Captain called Harvar, Akane and― Carl? Kayle? She didn't remember― were running around with cannon balls, powder and a lit torch.

Maka chipped for air as Black*Star threw Maka inside of the storage and her sword clattered on the floor beside her.

Without a single word from the right-hand-man, he shut the door and the lock clicked to the sound of a cannon ball being fired.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Maka lay on the ground, chipping for air to fill her empty lungs. Inhaled. Exhaled. Slowly she rolled on her back and even though she breathed, the oxygen ran right through her without satisfyingly expanding her lungs to their original volume. Cannons were fired and she heard the cannon balls screech to then loudly splash into the water.

Pirates screamed on deck and she heard Captain Eater yell orders. "Fire the cannons!" and "Prepare for battle!"

The cannons from next room boomed loudly and shook the floor she lay on. Wood cracked open and instantly Soul roared "We've been hit!" Instantly wood clattered and hammers hit the wall as cannons continuously were fired from both sides.

What was she doing? She couldn't be locked inside of the storage the whole raid. Her comrades, well, _reluctant comrades_ were fighting and she should be out with them and protecting Shibusen. Instead her Captain locked her away and kept her from being an equal member in his crew. He degraded her in such ways because of her gender, and she couldn't take that. She has to be strong and prove herself she can be a good female pirate just like her idols.

She inhaled shakily and sat up. The sacks in the storage spun around and her hand flattened on the ground to offer her support. She breathed slowly and the items in the storage slowly solidify on their usual spots. Her hand found her sword on the floor and clutched it to the sound of boots landing on the deck.

The raid has begun.

Swords clashed from above and the cannons silenced. Cries of pains resonated through the walls.

 _THUD!_

Her heart jumped in her chest at the sound of a body hitting the ground.

People were dying.

 _People were dying._

Her eyes slowly widened as she heaved herself up on her shaky feet.

That body could've been her Captain. That person could've been one of her comrades. That person could've lived if she reacted faster and stayed on the main deck and fought with them. She could've saved that person's life. Maybe that person had a family waiting at the harbour for him to return with money for food. What would happen to them―

Wood slammed into the ground and Maka knows that sound all too well. It's the sound of the hatchet being open. A body hit the ground hard, maybe as hard as she had only a few minutes earlier.

"Fuck!" A pathetic whimper from the other side of the door. Instantly the hair on her arms rose. It's the right-hand-man, Black*Star.

A moment later boots thud on the ground. Black*Star cried out in pain. Her stomach stirred with fear and instantly her knees start to quiver. When did her shoulders suddenly become so heavy?

Swords were pulled from holders and instantly metal rang loudly on the other side of the door.

She can't stand and do nothing. Black*Star was in danger― or maybe even dead― and she had to help Akane, Harvar and― the third one― immediately. She couldn't be scared. This was what she signed up for and she can't back down and give Captain Eater another reason to degrade her.

She gulped and inhaled loudly at a poor attempt at calming her nerves. One step forward she neared the door. A loud cry shook her bones and suddenly was cut off to the sound of meat being torn. It sounded like a butcher drew a knife through a dead cow and fleshed it. A heavy mass hit the ground and Maka knew from the bottom of her heart, someone just died.

Quickly she shook her head and flew toward the door.

She _got_ to do something! There was no time to be afraid. If she didn't do _something_ then― then―

She gulped as she collided with the locked door.

The ship could sink and she would die.

"Black*Star!" She exclaimed as she slammed her fists into the wood. "Unlock the door!" She stiffened and her hands came to a sudden halt when meat was severed again. A painful cry sounded and a loud bang of a body hitting the ground. She flinched at the impact. Victim number three.

She pushed away from the door and put her sword in its holder. Quickly she dashed and collided into the door. The lock budged, but it didn't bust the door open. She backpedalled before he lunged for the door again. Her shoulder hit the wood. The door budged more than the last. A smile tugged at her lips. Her shoulder smashed repeatedly into the door and for every time she collided with the door, the wood around the lock weakened further.

She huffed when the wood split and the lock was only attached to a small amount of wood. She backpedalled and retrieved her sword from its holder. Her boot made contact with the door and it swung open and slammed into the wall.

A gasp tore her throat.

Blood. Blood painted the floor crimson and the bodies of the cannon managers, Akane, Harvar and― Maka gulped. Now she felt bad for never remembering his name. Their faces were facing the floor and various wounds from neck, stomach and chest decorated the corpses.

Bile turned in her stomach at the overwhelming smell of warm copper mixed with gunpowder.

Her eyes slowly wandered to the end of the room and she was met with unknown black coat and short brown locks. The mysterious figure stood in front of Black*Star who lay on his side clutching his stomach.

Black*Star groaned as his nails dug into his stomach. "Fuck lass." His blue eyes stared at her.

Her hand tightened on her sword and silently she gulped. "Get the Cap'n." She tried to keep her voice from trembling. In front of her stood the pirate who'd ruthlessly murdered members on Shibusen.

Fear fired up in the pit of her stomach and the pirate's bloodied sword rose toward her. "Lass?" The man tilted his head and his brown eyes felt like they could see through her soul. See right through her body and soul into her mind, seeing every memory and hearing every thought of hers. A shiver ran down her spine. "Ye're a woman. I never thought in a million years Eater woul' ever accept a pitiful _woman_ in his crew."

"He didn't." She inhaled slowly and calmed her nerves as she took a step toward the left, the man countered with one to the left as well. "I forcefully took a place on the ship."

The man snorted as both of them took another step toward the left. "A woman? Like a woman coul' overpower Eater." A small laughter escaped his lips. A large grin spread on his lips and exposed teeth with a slight yellow hue. "Ye're funny, girl. Pretending 'o be a pirate."

Their eyes remained locked as their swords were pointed at each other. "I'm not pretending."

"Ye're nothing but a fake." Quickly he moved one step toward her and the circle slimmed down. "Nothing but a bluff."

Those words. Simply because she was born without a certain body part made her into a bluff? Into a fraud? Did her idols have to go through the same treatment as her? Treated like dirt on their shoe and a nuisance? She's as capable as the rest of the pirates and she's going to prove it. To him. To Captain Eater. And to the whole pirate world.

"I assure you," Her eyes narrowed into slits. She inhaled slowly and her hands stopped shaking. "I'm not a bluff."

She pounced and their swords clashed. Repeatedly metal clashed and their boots stuck on the red sticky liquid. She swung her blade toward the side and he parried it with his own. Their feet moved back and forth, leaping and backpedalling to defend and attack their foe.

For a split second her eyes darted toward the right-hand-man who gripped his stomach as he climbed the ladder with one arm. The hatchet swung close as he reached the top.

He was safe. Good.

"Arr!" Free jumped forward and stabbed at her cheek. She flinched and instantly she felt warm liquid trickle down her chin and down her jawline. The pirate backpedalled and grinned wide toward her. "Lass, concentration's the key 'o piracy." He lowered his sword and his index tapped above his left eyebrow where _'NO FUTURE'_ was inked to his skin. "Or else yer future'll be short."

She let out a battle cry and dove toward him. Their swords crossed as he let out a hearty chuckle.

"It's _you_ who don't have a future!" Their swords kept colliding and Maka was forced to backtrack.

The foe was two heads taller than her and his arms were about the size as her head. He was far superior than her in physical strength and had more experience fighting life-or-death situations than her. He nonchalantly gazed away from her and he still managed to block her stabs and swings of her sword. Maybe if she had both of her swords, maybe then―

She gasped and her heel backed into an obstacle. She tripped backward just as the pirate made a stab toward her. A roll of her shoulder and his sword scratched her skin. Her back slapped against the ground and her head followed. Her eyes pierced cold and blank sapphire eyes of the blond man she'd forgotten the name of.

The pirate let out a cry, ripping her gaze from his eyes, rolling to the side. His sword sunk stabbed the man's thigh. Quickly Maka got up on her feet and clutched her sword. She backpedalled when his rapid attacks aimed at her shoulders and chest. Her back collided with the wooden wall she ducked in time and the blade crashed through the wall.

Maka stood up and grabbed a hold of his elbow and shoulder. She swung her feet and hit him right between his legs.

He hollered in pain and his hand let go of the hilt. Instantly Maka rolled away from his mass of pure muscles as he fell like a tree, gripping his hurting body part. "Not fair!" He choked out, rolling to his side and curled into a ball. "No one kicks under 'he belt!" He shuddered in pain

She pointed her sword toward his neck and her sharp end rested on his tanned skin.

The battle was over.

The pirate cracked his eye open and it lowered to her sword directed at his throat. "Ye got me." His jaw tensed. "What's 'he name of the one who took down the almighty Immortal Wolf?"

She stared at him as she wiped away the liquid from her cheek, but new kept on coming. Was he playing a trick on her in order for her to lower her guard?

"Maka." She saw no harm in giving him her name. "What is yours?"

He grunted and his eyes shut again. "Free. Captain Free of the ship Wolf."

She took down _a_ _pirate Captain?!_

Both of them silenced. His eyes stayed shut and her sword pressed against his throat. This was the time for her sword to sink into his throat and―

Maka jumped in surprise when boots landed on the floor. Her eyes quickly darted toward Captain Eater who skilfully landed on the ground. His sword, _her sword_ , was coated in blood while his was neatly placed in its holder hanging from his hip. Her eyes returned to the pirate Captain lying on the ground.

"Captain Eater." Maka greeted. "I caught h―"

"No quarters are given."

She tilted her head. "Huh?"

"We don't take prisoners, Sprog." He roughly spoke and his boots clicked on the ground. His voice wasn't as shaky as hers was when she saw the bodies of the crew. How could he so easily speak to her without showing a shred of shock or sadness or grief for his fallen crew members?

Her head snapped at her Captain and her eyes met his hard and cold red eyes. "W-what? Then what are w―"

"Kill him." He came to a stop a few feet in front of Maka and Free. "He attacked and kill'd three of me men. He doesn't deserve to take another breath."

Her heart sunk in her chest. She knew in her career as a pirate, she would eventually have to take a life. To have to sink her sword into another living and breathing human being. A human being who has feelings and dreams just like her, and maybe a family waiting at home for him to return to. She knew, she would've to be the one to take a life and end another's life. It would be tough, she thought, but nothing like this.

Captain Eater stomped his boot impatiently and the blood made sticky and disgusting sounds.

Free slowly cracked his eyes opened and glanced at her. His brown eyes soft like a large pile of hay. Eyes you could simply stare into and find some peace in yourself. _She_ would be the one to turn his vivid and deep eyes to blank and cold eyes like the ones of her dead crew mates.

Her hand tightened on her hilt and she bit her lower lip.

Fear blossomed in her stomach. She could only imagine what Free was thinking. His last thoughts of his beloved family and his dreams that would never come true. His last thoughts that would turn non-existent because of her. She would be the one to take it all away from him.

"Well?" Captain Eater said impatiently.

Her eyes closed and she lowered her sword from Free's throat.

She could not do it.

She couldn't be the one who ruthlessly and selfishly ended another person's life and affected the lives of others because the easy solution to the problem was by killing. She'd felt the pain of losing someone. She didn't have the heart to cause that same pain to someone else. The easy solution was by killing the foe, but she wouldn't do that. She would create her own solution. Create her own path of piracy she would follow.

"Sprog." Captain Eater growled and his boots stomped with rage. "I knew ye were a failure."

"What?!" Her eyes snapped open and she faced him. "Because I can't take a person's life I'm a failure?!"

"Yes!" He bared his sharp teeth at her and his hand tightened on her sword he'd taken before the battle broke out. "A failure! That's exactly what ye are!"

"I'm not a failure! I'm _human!"_ Her throat knotted and tears poured up in her eyes. She refused to let her Captain have the pleasure of watching her cry. "Look around you." She backed and gestured toward the bloodied floor and the bodies of the crew member. "They're _dead_ and you're not even sad. They're _gone_ and you're not even bothered by i―"

"Of course I'm bloody bother'd!" He exclaimed. "I sailed with them for years. They were great with cannons an' now I'll have to look for new ones."

Her mouth hung wide open. "I can't believe you." She whispered astonished. "They're dead and you find it a nuisance that you'll have to find _new members_. You're not worried at all that they're dead?!" Her stomach stirred with disgust toward her captain. She'd almost puked at the sight of the corpses and the blank eyes of the blond pirate still haunted her. How could he not be affected?

His mouth was a thin line and his jaw was tense. "No. They can be replaced."

Wood cracked and their eyes quickly caught sight of the black coat of Free as he broke through the cannon window and dived into the water.

"Son of a biscuit eater!" Soul stormed toward the broken window and stuck his head out of the ship. "Damn it." He returned his head inside and headed toward the ladder at the end of the hallway. "Black*Star!"

Instantly a head of blue hair peeked inside through the hatchet, probably listening in on their conversation. "Y-yes?"

"Get Sid down here and repair the damages. Then ye get cat o'nine tails."

Black*Star visibly gulped and his eyes reflected fear and nervousness. "R-right." He stuttered and disappeared as Soul climbed up the ladder.

During her stay at Shibusen, she discovered her Captain to be rude and cold. Not only to her, but to the crew as well. As soon as they were in his presence, the chit-chat came to an abrupt halt and they focused on their task at hand, giving it their all as they avoided eye contact with their Captain. Black*Star was always the one who could be less intimidated by their Captain and actually meeting his eyes. For him to be so… anxious meant a great deal to her.

Whatever would happen, it wasn't good.

She threw herself at the ladder and climbed up after her Captain. Fresh air hit her and for the first time, she was freed from smelling copper and powder. The salty air of the ocean tickled her nostrils and she inhales deeply the scent she adored. The deck wasn't in any better condition than below deck was. It was also stained with blood, but there were no bodies. In the distance she could see the brown ship slowly and steadily being devoured by the sea.

As soon as she gets up from the hatchet, Sid disappeared awfully quickly down below with his tools.

Captain Eater stood in front of the Captain's Cabin and Black*Star limped toward him with his hand over his wounded stomach. In his free hand he held a tool. The hilt was of black leather and nine strings of leather came from it with plenty of knots on it. As soon as Black*Star handed Captain Eater the unknown tool, he hurried back toward the mass of pirates who nervously fiddled with their hands as they avoided the Captain's ice-cold stare at them.

Maka's eyes fluttered with confusion as Captain Eater's fingers caressed the leather strings. His fingers stopped slightly for each knot, to then stop at the last knot where his index and thumb rolled the knot between them.

"Ox."

The effect was instantly. A high-pitched scream was let out and the bald man with the curious two towers of hair on his head clutched his head. His head shook furiously as the other crew members repelled from him as if he carried the plague. The captain's boots calmly, but yet so maddeningly, neared Ox with the cat o'nine tails in his hands. Ox shrunk as he let out a desperate whimper.

"Please Captain!" He begged and sunk to his knees. "I promise I won't be distracted next time! I pro―"

"Take off yer shirt."

Ox's pleads came to an abrupt ending and the rest of the crew pressed toward walls and railings away from the two. The man let out a defeated whimper as his shaky hands grabbed a hold of the hem of his shirt.

Maka watched with wide eyes as Ox discarded his shirt and he turned his back toward his Captain. His back was covered in scars. None like the scars she received from her Captain's sword, none like the scars you got when you fell off a horse. These scars… they were paler than the rest of his body. The scars were in every direction, crossing each other and covered his back from his shoulders to his lower back where the hem of his pants hugged his waist.

What were they? Was _this_ what Black*Star and the rest of the crew feared? Was her Captain behind those permanent scars on his back?

"For yer delay in notifying yer Captain of the incoming threat," Captain Eater spoke, "ye sent valuable members of pirate ship Shibusen into their graves. For causing Akane, Harvar an' Clay's―" Clay! That was the name of the blond pirate! She will never forget it! "―deaths, ye'll receive twenty whips." The crew gasped in horror and Ox flinched.

The joy from learning Clay's name was short-lived. Her body paralyzed when Captain Eater raised his whip and brought it down on Ox's back. He let out a painful cry and he squeezed his eyes shut.

Maka's hands flew up to cover her mouth in horror. Captain Eater repeated the process and brought down another time. Ox howled in pain through clenched teeth like a dying dog.

How could he do that? How could her Captain hurt his own crew? How could he continue whipping him when he cried out in pain?

Ox gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut in agony as the old scars on his back opened and blood trickled down his back.

Lonely tears trickled down Ox cheek when Captain Eater brought down the whip for a twelfth time. The black leather coloured with his blood.

Her legs gained new life. Before the raid, she'd stood by on the other side of the door when she could've saved Akane, Harvar and Clay, but she was too late and let them die. She was done with the unnecessary blood and wounds. This wasn't needed.

She broke out into a sprint as Captain Eater raised his whip for a fifteenth time. "Stop!" Maka exclaimed and threw herself onto Ox's back. "Stop! You don't need to hurt him!" She squeezed her eyes shut but the whip never met her back. Slowly, she cracked her eye opened and saw Captain Eater looming over her with cold red eyes staring at her with despise and hatred.

"Is that so?" He lowered the whip to his side. "Then I guess ye don't mind taking his place?"

She flinched and bit her lower lip. The excruciating pain Ox expressed was enough for her to know it would be the most painful physical act she'd experienced up to this day. It was nothing like the cuts Soul delivered to her, bicep or shoulder. Nothing like the cuts she received when falling from a horse or the cuts she got from the papers of the books she read. This was torture.

But she'd experienced worse mental wounds in her past. She'd pulled through then, and she was going to pull through now.

Her heart hammered against her ribcage as her eyes casted toward the leather whip in his hand. She couldn't simply apologize to the Captain and walk away. Ox's blood stained her clothes and she couldn't let him bleed more.

"No." She whispered but it was audible enough for the crew to hear. Gasped tore at their throats and wide eyes stared at her like she was a crazy woman. Maybe she was. "I don't mind. At. All." She punctuated her words as she bravely stared into the Captain's eyes like none other in the crew dared to do.

His eyes turned to slits and he took a step backwards. "Ox. Ye're one lucky bilge rat."

Maka rose from his back and instantly, he was gone and gripped his shirt among the other crew members. She heard him turn to Black*Star and whisper "is she insane?"

"Take off yer shirt." Maka grimaced as she got down on her knees and grabbed the hem of her shirt. She bit her lower lip as she snaked her hands inside of her shirt. With one hand she covered her modest chest as she took of her shirt with the other. Maybe she ought to think more before she react?

Her shirt landed beside her and her other hand covered her chest from the curious looks from the opposite sex crew. The braided pirate eyes were wide and he wore a large perverted grin on his face like she was a large roasted pig about to be served. Similar faces were made by other crew members but when she made eye contact with Black*Star, his eyes were different. His were painted with worry and concern. For her―

Pain exploded on her back and her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. She cried out in pain and her back pulsed with pain as the leather knots left her back. Tears stung her eyes and her nails dug into her chest.

This was just one whip. Ox had taken fourteen.

The leather soared through the air and slammed into her back again. Her teeth gritted and she let out a low scream. Her back ached with pain and she felt the lines where the whip hit her course with pain.

He hit her again and again. Every time pain exploded on her back and her nails ripped skin. Painful whimpers escaped her lips as she crushed her eyes shut.

"Twenty." Captain Eater spoke.

Maka let out a whimper and shakily inhaled. Tears spilled from her eyes as she gripped her shirt and struggled to get it on without flashing the crew. She didn't care if the shirt hurt her back, she was more concerned with the shameful state of nudity she found herself in.

The hatchet slammed open and Sid peeked out from it. "The window's fixed and so's the lock to the storage, Captain."

"Good." Captain Eater let go of the whip and it hit the floor. "Black*Star, take Sprog to the storage an' lock her in there. No one is allowed to treat her wounds or give her any food for the day. Kilik, ye clean nine tails."

The braided man jumped at the sound of his name or the name of the whip. Maybe even both in one sentence. She didn't know. "Aye aye!"

Captain Eater turned toward the rest of the crew and instantly their eyes fell to the floor submissively. "Sid, ye prepare lunch. The rest of ye're on cleaning duty. I want every stain of blood gone before ye eat."

"Y-your…" Maka flinched at the dry material caressing her aching skin. She was lucky blood wasn't pouring out from her back like Ox was.

Captain Eater turned his attention back at her, his eyes looking down at her like she was dirt on his shoe. "Hmm? What did ye say?"

She narrowed her eyes and she crossed her arms in front of her chest as if she was still naked on the floor. "You're a monster." She hissed toward him.

"No." He stared down at her, and for the first time, she knew with clarity she was staring at a demon. "I am Soul Eater." His coat flickered as he turned on his heel and walked away.

Boots clicked on the wooden floor and they stopped behind her. "Stand up."

Maka looked behind her where Black*Star stood. It was something different with him. He didn't rip at her arm or hustle her toward the hatchet. He waited for her to get up herself. Slowly she stood up on her feet and not even then did he roughly grab her arm. Instead he headed toward the hatchet and she followed him close. They climbed down the ladder and the smell of blood overwhelmed her again. The view of the corpses on the ground made her stomach stir and tears prickling her eyes.

"Ye'll get used to the smell." He spoke up as he headed passed the corpses without batting an eye toward them. "However, the sight'll always throw ye off. Just don't look them in their eyes."

Her eyes fluttered as she followed him into the storage. He was being awfully nice toward her compared to his behaviour this morning. Something had _definitely_ changed.

"Lie down on yer stomach. It will hurt less."

She did as he recommended. Carefully she lay down on the floor and used her arms to rest her unharmed cheek. "Why are you suddenly so nice to me?" She spoke as he returned to the door and to the fixed door frame.

A small smile stretched on his face as he grabbed the door knob. "Ye saved my life earlier. If ye hadn't barged through that door, I would've joined the others. Ye could've simply stayed quiet an' hid inside of the storage, but ye acted an' saved my life in the end. I can't be mean aft that." He held his hand over his own wound. "Ye got guts, lass."

Her eyes fluttered. She never realized it. She _did_ save him, she never got it until now. If she hadn't broken out of the storage, Black*Star would've joined the company of the corpses on the ground. In the end, she didn't manage to save Akane, Harvar and Clay, but she did save Black*Star.

The corner of her lips tugged and she smiled wide toward him even though her cheek hurt. "You're welcome."

"Now be still." The smile quickly turned to a large grin. "I'll be back an' treat those wounds of yers!"

Her eyes widened. "Huh?! But the C―"

"Don't worry about the Captain, I'll take care o' everything." He gave her a thumb up and grinned wide toward her. "A God like me won't let his underlings go untreated!"

Her eyes widen to then flutter with confusion. A God? _Him?_ He certainty did not look or sound anything like the God in the bible. Had his mother dropped him on the head when he was a new-born?

"But what about you?" She asked. "You're wounded. And quite badly if you ask me."

He snorted and uncovered his hand, revealing blood and broken fabric soaked in blood. "Oh this?" He bent so he could look at his wound and his fingers were attracted to it like magnets. He spread the wound and groaned in pain.

Maka's eyebrow twitched as she stared at the idiot. "Don't touch it!"

"Why? It's only a flesh-wound."

"It might be a flesh-wound now, but you could end up breaking an aorta and bleed to death!"

He snorted and straightened his back. "Bah!" He waved his hand calmingly, with a touch of arrogance to his move. "A God like me can't die!" He wiped away his blood on his dark pants before he grabbed the door knob. "Ye don't worry yer pretty little face over me. Ye might end up popping wrinkles."

Her hands balled as she watched him close the door loudly behind him.

He's more annoying than she could've ever pictured him. Exaggerated and ignorant. Only an idiot would pronounce _him_ as right-hand-man of a ship. Her Captain indeed seemed to miss a proper brain and missed any sort of equipment to handle feelings so she wasn't surprised. But Black*Star did seem to have turned over a new leaf and she liked the more caring side of him than the tough guy he'd showed her when she first arrived at Shibusen up until now. Hopefully it wouldn't end in the morning.

She waited for his return. She heard the soothing sound of waves and the repeated sound of a mop on the wooden floor, although the _reason_ behind the moping disturbed her. She heard uncomfortable splashes of water causing her to flinch every time. Too many splashes came for her liking.

Her stomach growled loudly and she wished she hadn't put so much time in making the food. If she had been faster, maybe she could've gotten a little food into her system before Free attacked Shibusen.

She sighed and closed her eyes. Her wounds still pulsed painfully and all she could do was let them heal on their own. Maybe she could clean them when they didn't hurt as much.

Slowly she found herself asleep only to be woken up what felt like a moment later.

"Wake up." She groaned and opened her eyes, met with the view of Black*Star. He'd changed to a new shirt and he no longer held his wound, probably had his wound addressed to. At his side was a wooden box with a red cross on it. So he was serious about it after all. "Time to patch ye up."

"The Captain ordered no one to treat me. You'll be in trouble."

He snorted and opened the lid of the box. "He never comes out of his cave. Only if he's very hungry an' I've already served him his lunch so we're good."

She couldn't simply turn him away. Her wounds did need treatment and he offered to take care of them, so there was no need to throw a fit. She wasn't going to shy away just because her Captain was a monster. She wasn't going to let him control her with fear.

"Okay." She untangled her arms from under her chin and pulled her shirt up her back. Her tooth sunk into her lower lip as her shirt feathered over her sensitive back. Black*Star helped her grab a hold of the hem above her shoulders. Her back was exposed and her chest pressed against the floor, still modestly covered.

He grabbed a tissue and a bottle from the box and unplugged the cork from the bottle. He put the tissue to the mouth of the bottle and poured some of the transparent liquid into it. "This will hurt a little." She nodded in reply and he guided the tissue to her back. A hiss escaped her mouth when the wet tissue made contact with her back. "Ye're lucky the wounds aren't too deep."

She gritted her teeth as he ran the tissue over each wound on her back. "L-lucky?"

"Yeah." Black*Star stopped and poured some more of the liquid into the cloth. "Yer skin isn't as fragile as ours. Ye don't have scars 'hat reopen for every whip."

Wait. "Huh? What are you t―" She cut off herself when brought the cloth to her back again.

"Whenever someone messes up, like Ox did today, they get nine tails." The cloth ran over her back and her wounds sizzled with pain. "When ye've been hit with nine tails five times an' slips up a sixth time, the Captain'll kill you."

Her eyes widened. Her head snapped toward Black*Star. "What?! He'd do that?!"

Black*Star slowly nodded and threw the used cloth on the floor. "Yeah." He fished up a metal cylinder and he unscrewed the lid. "I've seen it before. Our previous scout messed up one too many an' Captain pulled his gun an' shot him in his left eyes. Man, Kilik an' I had trouble getting his brains off the ship's floor."

"That's terrible!" She carefully heaved herself up and covers her chest with her shirt. "No one deserves to die because of mistakes. Why couldn't he simply leave him in the nearest port and find a different one?"

"Because 'hat would be bad for his reputation. He can't have his enemies thinking he's going soft. An' he was easily replaced by Ox. Man, that guy was jumping in joy at the opportunity to become a member of the crew." He put the lid on the floor and scooped up some of the light brown ointment on his index finger. "Now lie down an' let me finish treating ye."

Maka opened her mouth, wanting to question Black*Star more of her Captain's history, but she'd a feeling he wouldn't answer her questions. Reluctantly she lay down on the ground and Black*Star started smearing ointment on her wounds. Black*Star silently continued treating her and Maka found herself wondering what she'd gotten herself into.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

That night Maka didn't sleep well. Not because of her wounded cheek or whipped back, but for the mental wounds the raid caused her. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Clay's slightly ajar mouth and his blank and unmovable eyes. Slowly his blue eyes would shift into green and his hair grew longer and his face shaped into hers. Then _she_ would be the one Black*Star threw out of the ship. She sunk in the water as Captain Eater would stare at her with disappointment.

Every time, she would jolt awake and sweat pearls trickled from her forehead. The moon shone inside the small window in the storage room and lit up her trembling hands. The image of her lying on the floor, her eyes as blank as Clay's and bloodied body, was terrifying her to the core.

Never before had she seen a dead person. A person that had been breathing and talking barely an hour before she found him dead, blood still pouring out from his wounds and his eyes only a reminder of the life he'd lived.

She bit her lower lip as she heaved herself up from the floor. Her back felt much better when her skin stretched and contracted. Her fingers brushed the clean cut on her cheek that was now only a thin scratch. He'd applied ointment on her cheek and her wound quickly absorbed it. Minutes later her wound seemed to close up and heal quicker than any wound she'd seen before. Whatever was in the ointment Black*Star applied on her back, it was working miracles. Her body was healing fast and she knew, in a day or two, there wouldn't be a sign of a scar or wound on her pale skin.

Carefully she leaned against the wall, her back didn't jolt in pain or even ache to her relief. The leather of her backpack rustled as she retrieved a notebook, black feather quill and a glass jar with ink. She opened up her journal and skipped passed the pages full with cursive black letters. Her hand stopped at a blank page. The obturator shrieked when she unplugged it from the jar. She dipped her quill in the ink and started writing.

 _Dearest me_

 _It has been four days since Captain Eater took me in on Shibusen. It has been an emotional expedition to the highest mountains and deepest seas. Firstly, I was overcome with joy when I first joined, but my Captain and his men didn't want to accept me based on my gender. They thought a woman like me only could sew and cook, but they are fortunate I know more than that. I gave my Captain a new hairdo and ruined his hat and I think I managed to get some respect from the other crew members._

It might've not been the reason Black*Star accepted her, but she'd a feeling she'd proved herself by fighting their Captain. After seeing how he acted toward Ox, Maka knew he was a tyrant and she'd fought and left her marks on his body. She _had_ to have earned some sort of respect from her crew. She'd taken whips from him in order to save Ox the pain, if they wouldn't soften around her the slightest, then she didn't know what would.

 _I sincerely hope now when Black*Star, Captain Eater's right-hand-man, has accepted me, the others will follow. I do not wish to be on bad terms with the others. I wish them all well and for nothing to happen upon them like what happened to Akane, Harvar and Clay. They might be more or less like acquaintances to me now, but I truly hope to get to know them and earn a permanent spot on their heart, but maybe not on Shibusen._

Her quill stopped at the end of the row. How she'd wanted to be a pirate. In her early childhood, how she'd wished to become a pirate. One to sail the seven seas and go on adventures with a crew she trusted and loved. Her grandmother always told her incredible stories about storms, swordfights and treasures. Chests full with golden coins, jewellery worth a fortune and rare documents. From the first story she told her, she wanted to become one and enter the world of adventures.

When her grandmother told her about the infamous trio of brave female pirates, she was hooked. The stories she told about raids and swordfights and helping the innocent, she fell in love with them. A longing of fighting evil alongside them and giving their loot to the poor blossomed and her long-time dream shaped into what it was today. She wanted the trio to turn into a quartet.

A sigh escaped her lips.

If only she could've found them earlier. Now she was stuck under Captain Eater control.

Maka dipped her quill in the ink and continued.

 _As soon as I find the ship Arachnophobia where the Gorgon trio is, I'm going to leave behind Shibusen and fulfil my dream. To sail the seven seas with the Gorgon trio._

 _Sincerely myself_

Maka blew carefully on the ink to force it to dry faster. When it wasn't shiny, she closed her notebook and plugged the jar with the obturator, putting her quill, notebook and ink back into her bag.

She turned her head toward the little window where the moonlight shone in. In an hour or two, she knew the moon would be gone and the sky would be graced with the presence of the morning sun. There was no way she could sleep. Not with the images constantly frightening her as soon as she closed her eyes. She stood up and moved to the window. She'd to rise on her toes in order to peek out of the round window.

The dark blue sky was dotted with distant starts sparkling in the sky. The moon was large and round, with its bright colours forcing the darkness away.

The night was beautiful and there would be no more sleep for her, so why not stargaze, reliving her childhood by gazing at the stars and finding star signs like she and her grandmother always used to do.

She removed herself from the window and headed for the door. Her hand grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. The door swung open and Maka headed down the corridor that was now clean. Not a single drop of blood was on the floors or the cannons. Black*Star and the others did a very good job cleaning Shibusen's floors.

Maka climbed up the ladder and pushed the hatchet open. It squeaked loudly and her face cringed. She heaved herself up and closed the hatchet behind her. Hopefully she didn't wake anyone up.

She waited for any sound of life from either the sleeping wards in the front of the ship or from the Captain's Cabin from the back. She stayed in the same position for a minute or two for any sign of life on Shibusen. She came to the conclusion she hadn't awoken anyone and she exhaled with relief. Her back met the cleaned floor and the stars were surrounding her.

The corner of her lip tugged and she raised her hand, reaching out toward the stars. It was different from when she lay on the grass with her grandmother. Their hands would be lazily entwined as they silently searched for star signs and from time to time would a thought be spoken without the speaker's consent.

Her hand pulled at the golden chain around her neck and fished up the thick golden circle decorated with emeralds. It was a gift from her grandmother which was a gift from her mother which was a gift from her mother and the list went on. It was a necklace that had been passed down through generations and when her eighteens birthday came, it was her turn to inherit the it. With tears in her eyes, she'd watched her grandmother taken it off from her skinny neck and helped lock the heavy necklace around her neck. Simply feeling the heavy necklace weight in her hands made her feel closer to her beloved grandmother.

Her eyes slowly fluttered shut and listened to the waves hitting Shibusen's sturdy frame. Gradually the sound faded and the hard surface on the floor turned comfortable. Grass grew up from the ground and tickled her exposed neck and hands. Slothfully her index finger played with a straw of green grass and her nose tickled with the smell of her grandmother's pancakes. Her delicious pancakes she'd always dangle over her head to motivate her to complete her chores. Her hearty and slightly gravelly laughter played in her head. She could see her face. Grey long hair running down her shoulders and ending before her waist. The same bright green eyes she inherited from her beloved grandmother and her wrinkled pale skin. Her tiny lips would create the largest and most inviting smiles she'd ever seen and she wished she could've locked it in a box and share―

"KACKA!"

Her eyes snapped open and a blur of colours dived toward her. She shrieked loudly and rolled toward the side just as the bird's sharp claws dived in her original place. She faced a parrot with yellow, red and green fears that snarled toward her deeply as the parrot waved threateningly his wings.

"Easy!" Maka raised her hands to guard herself from the mad parrot. "Shut up!" Her eyes flashed quickly toward the Captain's Cabin and the door to the sleeping ward. No doors opened. "You're going to wake everybody!" She hissed at the bird and bared her teeth.

It only enraged the bird more at her resistance. The parrot's wings went back and forth and the bird kept on snarling loudly at her. Maka's eyes fluttered at the sight of the brown bag on the back of the parrot.

The door to the sleeping ward slammed open and Black*Star's baggy eyes rapidly searched the deck before they settled on her. "The fuck?"

Right behind him appeared Ox. His eyes widened and a large smile appeared on his face. "Thunder!" He pushed passed Black*Star. The parrot instantly lit up at the sight of Ox and flew to him. Ox extended his arm and the parrot gracefully landed. "I've missed ye buddy! I though' ye wouldn't find us!" Ox petted the parrot which hummed and closed its cartoon eyes. The brown leather bag on the parrots back was gone.

"Wait." Maka stood up on her feet and brushed her pants from dust. "That's _your_ parrot?"

"Yeah." Ox grinned wide at the bird and scratched the bird's neck. "His name's Royal Thunder. Ain't he a beauty?"

Maka's eyebrow twitched. She'd just been attacked by the bird and he wanted her to confirm about the status of the bird's appearance. She's sure he didn't need it by looks of the cutesy faces he made. "Um, that bird literally just attacked me."

"So? Can't little lassie handle even _a parrot?_ " Ox didn't even take his eyes off the parrot. He cooed at the parrot that affectionately nibbled on his finger. He turned on his heel and headed toward the sleeping ward.

Maka's eyes fluttered toward Black*Star and the now awake crew standing by the door before Black*Star slowly headed toward her. "Ox can be an ass sometimes. His pride took a toll when ye stepped up and took the beating for him."

Ox shoved his way passed the crew and soon enough the rest of the crew members headed back to their hammocks.

She cocked her eyebrow and tilted her head. "Why? I only helped him. Why is he mad?"

"He's not mad. He's just a little snippy. He's always though' highly of himself an' when he's saved by a girl. That wounded his ego." Black*Star crossed his arms over his chest and transferred his weight on his left leg.

Maka desperately wanted to roll her eyes. So only because she was a woman he was mad? Pirates. Clinging onto their old ways. Black*Star managed to turn around and she's sure she got more respect from the others, how come Ox was still rude toward her? Couldn't he forget what she did?

She sighed heavily and turned toward the railing, resting her elbows on the wood. "I don't get you pirates. First you welcome me to the crew then you ignore me because of my gender to then snap at me for saving your behinds. I don't get it."

Black*Star snorted and rested his arm on the railing. "Believe me, it's not easy accepting a female pirate."

"Why is that?"

"Because ye're not human. Ye're objects―"

"WHAT?!"

"Easy, lassie." Black*Star backpedalled and raised his hands in defence at Maka's clenched fists. "Girls can't fight. Girls know nothing about the sea. Girls can't handle 'his lifestyle. The only thing they're good at cooking, cleaning an' pleasuring."

"I should've let you d―"

"I'm not done!" Black*Star exclaimed as Maka raised her fist threateningly. "But then there're _ye._ Ye question our lifestyle an' ye prove yerself as a swordsman. I'm starting to question if maybe girls are more capable than I think they are."

"Of course we are more capable! I would like to see a man giving birth or daily submit to a man who you love dearly but who goes behind your back and has an affair with every woman in the village." It's like a jab to her chest. Her nails dig into the wooden railing and her eyes gaze down on her usually cleaned nails that now were dirty. "You men think you can do whatever you want without any consequences. That everybody would simply have to throw themselves on the ground and worship the ground you walk on―"

"Yeah, yeah, we know already. That stuff's ancient." Black*Star annoyingly rolled his eyes and the sky slowly brightened. "Men are too controlling an' women are weak an' whiny. We know 'ready."

"I didn't see you beating Free into a bloody pulp. You were laying on the ground totally defeated while _I_ wiped the floor with him." She straightened her back and grinned wide toward the blue-haired idiot.

He snorted. "That was because he was too small for a big guy like me." He mumbled under his breath. "Let's just drop it. Women'll never be as capable as men."

"No you don't!" Maka's eyebrows narrowed and she faced Black*Star. "Women are strong individuals who have not gotten the opportunity to show their abilities and strengths. We are just as good pirates as you men. Look at the Gorgon Trio and the success―"

"Do not―" Black*Star snapped toward Maka. His eyes burned vividly with icy blue flames and veins appeared on his pale clenched fists. "―speak of _them_ so highly. They're the scum of the ocean an' they don't even deserve to be taken as sex slaves. They don't even deserve to be in our presence."

She's stunned with shock. His harsh tone. Enraged body language. How could the Trio's name enrage him so to react in such a way? They may be pirates, but they were the empowering females the world need. Three women who conquered more than the sea, three women who conquered the male competition and rightfully earned recognition from the pirate world.

What on earth could've brought out such a reaction?

" _They_ along with every biscuit eater on Arachnophobia can jump and feed the sharks, but not even they would eat rotten meat like them." His furious glare lingered a little more on Maka before he turned on his heel and left the railing.

The sun peeked from the horizon and greeted the sea good morning by colouring the sky pink.

Black*Star angrily dragged the metal box and dropped it loudly on the floor. He brought out the cook materials roughly and his eyebrows were permanently narrowed with only a wrinkle separating them.

Morning came and as Black*Star angrily prepared breakfast for all of the crew members, Maka leaned against the railing and stared at him. His eyes were focused on the task at hand as he roughly pulled a large wooden spoon from the metal box. Black*Star went toward the hatchet, disappearing down before he returned with a few tin-cans in his hands. He retrieved a dagger from his belt and stabbed it into the metal of the can with so much force Maka flinched.

He was definitely mad. Mad because she mentioned the Gorgon sisters. The sisters were remarkable. Their adventures amazed her and she dreamt for so long, longed for a life with them and experience adventures with them.

Why did Black*Star react so badly toward them? Was there something he knew about them that she didn't? She was a newly recruited pirate, but he had travelled the seas on-board Shibusen for who knew how long. The crewmembers ought to know more about the Gorgon Trio than she did.

Whatever hid behind Black*Star's anger, Maka was determined to find out.

The wooden spoon loudly hit the metal walls of the pot as he stirred― pea-soup. Maka removed her elbows from the railing and slowly approached the far corner the farthest away from her. His angry eyes flickered to her, giving her a hateful glare before he lowered his blue eyes.

Maybe her investigation had to be put on hold for the moment.

Instead of meeting the raging wannabe God's aware eyes, she faced the floor while she unstrapped the two half-moon benches from the railing of the ship. She dragged the two half logs to create a nice setting where the crewmembers would be able to face each other.

It wasn't long before Black*Star finished preparing breakfast. As yawning pirates came out from the sleeping ward, scratching their heads or rubbing sleep out of their eyes, Black*Star poured soup into a silver bowl and set it down on a silver tray where a nicely polished silver spoon rested. It was completely different from their set of wooden bowls, spoons and glasses. But then again, the bowl of hot pea-soup wasn't for them, it was for their oh-so-beloved-Captain. He was a monster indeed, maybe the silver would harm him and he would burn his tongue so badly a blood vessel would burst and he would die from bloodloss. She wouldn't mind. At. All.

Black*Star wandered toward the beast's cave with the silver tray in his hands. After Ox finished rubbing his tired eyes, he eyed her with distaste before he quickly took a seat in the middle of the log in front of her. The man with the awful breath and the blue bandana tiredly flopped down beside Ox as Ox hungrily grabbed a bowl and poured some soup into his wooden bowl.

As the third and final pirate join, she was very surprised when her eyes locked with his dark ones, she was met with a smile.

"Mornin'." The braided dark man greeted her as he took a seat beside her.

She was baffled. Surprised. Confused. She'd gained Black*Star as a friend barely twenty-four hours ago, and it seemed maybe, she'd gained two.

"Good morning." She almost squeaked out. Her eyes evaded his own and she distracted herself with the nice-smelling hot soup Black*Star had prepared.

"How's yer back? Captain doesn't exactly go easy with nine tails." He asked as he filled his bowl with soup.

"Oh." Maka stuttered as she grabbed a bowl, waited for him to finish before she poured the pale yellow soup into her bowl. "They're healing properly, thank you." She left out the detail that Black*Star treated her wounds. Black*Star and maybe, the braided man was on her side, but she had definitely not Ox on her side. She wouldn't want to cause trouble.

"Good."

She was about to reach for a spoon when the braided man retrieved one for her and held it toward her. "We never introduced ourselves." He spoke as Maka took the spoon from his hand. "I'm Kilik. An' those sleepy-heads are Sid an' Ox." He nodded toward the two males in front of her.

Sid. So that was the name of the man with the rotten breath and bandana. He'd similar braids in his hair. His jaw was strong and hairy and down his biceps were dark tattoos of lines. Sid was very large and muscular, his body was well defined by mountains of muscles and hard work on the ship, well that is if his entire body was as well trained as his exposed arms and calves.

Sid didn't seem to be bothered to greet her or meet her eyes. His stayed lowered on the soup in his bowl and on eating. Ox simply snorted at hearing his name and turned his body more away from her.

She was definitely not liked by Ox.

"Don't bother with them." Her eyes returned to Kilik― who suddenly sat a lot closer to her. Her face heated up as he leaned toward her, raising his large hand toward her face. "Sid's always quiet. She's not much of a talker." He whispered and shielded his words from the other two. He dropped his hand and pulled away from her.

The door to the beast's cave closed and out came Black*Star without the silver tray. "Kilik!" Black*Star hollered, his fists stayed balled. "Are we getting' close to Death Harbour?"

His eyes strayed from hers as he filled his spoon with soup. "Yeah. We should arrive in the afternoon."

"Make it noon."

"Huh?" He lowered his spoon and surprisingly stood up from his seat beside Maka. She stared in awe at the sight before her. "We're 'ready going as fast as we can. The wind is good, but it's not _that_ good. We won't make it there to noon."

"Cap'n's orders." Black*Star muttered as he massaged his neck tiredly as he neared Kilik. "Of course we'll get on time! A big star like me will get us there even hours before noon! There's nothing a God like me can't do! I'll conquered time an'―"

"Yeah man, we get it." Kilik sat back down and grabbed the last empty bowl beside the pot. "Grab some food, will ya? We've a lot of work if we're going to get there at noon. This Oni's Treasure never seems to astonish me how important it is."

Black*Star grabbed the bowl and sat down beside Kilik but he never stopped rambling about how godly he was.

Maka sighed heavily and shook her head.

* * *

Kilik wasn't joking when he said it was going to be a lot of work. With only three experienced pirates with sailing it became very hectic. At first she thought she was going to swab the deck like normally, but when she grabbed her mop and was ready to clean the deck, Black*Star grabbed a hold of her arm and dragged her toward the rear of the ship and up the stair.

How she found her in charge of steering the ship was beyond her. Kilik, Sid, Ox and Black*Star worked on pulling the different sails and repeatedly moved the white sails to capture the wind perfectly. Black*Star would holler at her which wooden pole of the wooden circle she would turn so it pointed upward. The pirates on the deck worked perfectly together. Black*Star shouted out orders for the pirates to follow and astonished her just how... how much respect they had for _Black*Star_. He knew exactly how to order them and put what pirate on what job. She could never in a million years imagine _him_ out of all people managing to perfectly guide the crew of pirates.

And it was him who was the right-hand-man, not the Captain. _He_ was the one outside and not their Captain.

Maybe the beast was allergic to the sun.

A grin spread on her face. She enjoyed the time steering Shibusen with her crew, even though the other pirates worked hard with the sails, she felt like _a_ _real pirate._ A real crewmember. It made her heart swell with joy. What she'd been working on for for years had finally become reality.

".. hear me Maka!"

Her eyes fluttered and the dreamy smile was instantly wiped from her face. Black*Star pulled on a rope leading to a sail as he looked over his shoulder at her.

"I'm sorry Black*Star! What did you say?"

"Fourth rod to the starboard!" Quickly she counted the poles from the wooden circle and pulled the fourth toward the top. Instantly Shibusen conquered the waves toward the left.

"Land Ho!" Ox yelled from up at the main sail, holding his spyglass to his eye with Royal Thunder on his shoulder, cosying up at his shining bald head.

"How are we doing with time?"

Kilik quickly assisted Sid with his sail. Maka carefully watched Sid as he grabbed the golden chain that hung from his neck and dived inside of his white tank top. He tugged on the chain and revealed a golden locket with details she couldn't quite make out due to the distance. Instantly hurt washed over his face as he pressed the button on the top and the locket opened.

"It's noon."

So it wasn't a locket, but a watch.

Maka's jaw hit the ground with shock. They did it. They made it to the harbour in time? But all of them said it was imp―

"Yahoo!" Black*Star pumped his fist in the air. "I told ye we would make it!" A large grin spread on his sweaty face. "I told y―"

"Black*Star the rope!" Kilik exclaimed but it was too late. A gust of wind pulled the sail, and the rope that was stuck to it, which was the one Black*Star recklessly held with one single hand. Maka watched as Black*Star's eyes widen with shock as he and the rope was pulled upward. He soared toward the main sail and let go just in time to skilfully land on the branch at the bottom of the sail. The sail fluttered in the wind, still stuck on the sail but completely useless for them to use.

Kilik sighed loudly and slapped his hand on his face. "Ye idiot…" He muttered under his breath, but Maka caught it.

"Don't worry peasants!" He pumped his hand in the air. "We don't need the sail! We'll simply drift to the port!" He laughed loudly and obnoxiously. "I, almighty Black*Star, God of the sea demand ye to take us straight to the port!"

Ox shook his head as Black*Star continued to shout at the sea, demanding to go faster, even threatening to kill the water.

What a knucklehead… She didn't even know how such an ignorant impossible idiot managed to become the right-hand-man. Her Captain must be an even bigger idiot to hire _him?!_

* * *

After extra thirty minutes, Shibusen managed to dock at the harbour and as soon as the ropes were tied, the door to the beast's den creaked open. The familiar sound of the Captain's boots made every pair of eyes aboard Shibusen snap toward his direction. Their Captain's eyes wander from every crew member, leaving terror in Ox's eyes and nervousness in Kilik's eyes. Sid's gaze doesn't even meet his Captain's, but evade toward the floor as if it would save him from judgement. Black*Star is the first to bravely stare back into Captain Eater's eyes. His red eyes dwell in his, before he move on― but not to look into hers. He completely brushed her off.

"Ye're all dismissed for the afternoon to do as ye like. Ye'll all get your portion of the loot to do as ye please." Sid's eyes lit up like a starved puppy gazing at a juicy stake. Captain Eater retrieved brown bags weighted with different amount of money in them. No equal salary it seemed.

Captain Eater called their names one by one. Sid got one of the larger bags with what seemed to be a little more than a handful of coins. He quickly took his share, bowed, before he quickly jumped off Shibusen and onto the harbour. Maka's eye crooked and she found herself wondering why he was in such a hurry. Was he so scared of their Captain he had to run away?

Next up was Ox who grind wide as he got his bag, a lot less than Sid, but he seemed to be satisfied. Royal Thunder crackled and flew toward his shoulder, comfortably landing and taking a seat on his shoulder. Ox glanced at her with a glance of victory in his eyes toward her before he also abandoned the ship.

When it was Kilik's turn, he got his fair share; a good handful of coins. He wore a smile as he headed toward the bridge connecting them to the harbour.

Captain Eater spoke the right-hand-man's name. Black*Star grinned wide as he marched up toward Captain Eater. He claimed the last bag that was the largest bag of them all with almost the double amount of Sid's!

"When I say noon." Captain's voice dipped and his red eyes darkened with venom. "I want to be at the harbour at noon. No fooling around next time."

"Aye aye, Cap'n." Black*Star turned his back toward him and stared walking.

"Sprog." For the first time since the beast left its cave, he faced her. His red eyes of pure destruction pierced her own. The instinct of facing the floor like Sid was strong, but she refused to be beaten by a simple stare. She refused to let his fear control her. She was braver than this.

She inhaled deeply and puffed her chest out bravely, staring back into his eyes with equal vigour.

His eyes slit. "You'll guard the ship."

Guard the ship? The rest of the crew was allowed to saunter around the harbour with their salaries but she had to stay on the ship; with no pay.

"Where is my money?" She bravely told him, trying to straighten her back as much as she could to be his equal in height, but there was no use. She could rise on her toes, but he would still be taller than her. She couldn't care less about money. She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She wasn't here for the money, but by gaining a salary like the rest of the crew, she would be one step closer at being their equal. "Everybody got their fair share, where is mine?"

"Ye don't get any."

"Why?"

It had now turned into a battle of _who's going to break_ with only their eyes. One blink, one waver of energy would determine the loser.

"Sprogs don't get any because of their rank. Ye caused the death of three of me men. The least ye deserve's payment for yer screw-ups." Captain Eater neared her, his boots hitting the wooden floor. "Now guard the ship and let no one aboard." Their gaze broke when he walked passed her.

"Cap'n can be a pain like that." Maka turned around seeing Black*Star still on the ship. Wasn't he as eager as Sid to leave the ship and spend his salary on women and alcohol?

"But why? Why is he so mean and cruel toward everyone?"

He sighed and ran his hand through his stark blue hair. "Honestly, I've no clue. Everything I've heard of him's bad. Really bad. Captain Soul Eater, the one who devours his enemies' souls and crewmembers'."

Her eyes fluttered and her mouth hung open. "Crewmembers?"

"Yeah. I'm the one who's survived the longest on Shibusen. Everybody has replaced someone on this ship, and everybody'll be replaced at some point." A large grin spread on his face and he tapped his chest with his thumb. "Everybody except me! I'm the almighty Black*Star! THERE IS NO ONE BIG ENOUGH TO TAKE ME DOWN!"

"Can you continue the story?"

"NO ONE CAN DEFEAT ME!"

"Please continue―"

"I'M TOO BIG! NOT EVEN SHINIGAMI IS BIG ENOUGH TO TAKE ME D―"

Maka's eyebrow twitched and her hands balled. "SHUT UP!" Her fist connected with his jaw. Head whipped to the side and he stood his ground. His face turned boisterous as his jaw burned an irritated red. She might've only boosted his ego.

"SEE?! NO ONE CAN BUDGE THE ALMIGHTY BLACK*STAR!"

"JUST CONTINUE WITH THE STORY ALREADY!"

He snorted and moved his chin over the damaged area where his skin started to blossom with blue. "Fine. Ye could've just said that. Geez, lass."

Maka's blood ran hot and her skin crawled. She inhaled loudly through her nostrils and exhaled slowly, gradually calming down her urges to redecorate Black*Star's face.

"The day I joined Shibusen. I was looking for a pirate boat to join because the sea needed someone as big as ME!―"

" _BLACK*STAR!"_

"―an' I saw a bunch of people huddled 'round the port. They'd fished up bodies of what they said were _"sailors"_ but they were in fact pirates. Captain Eater let me join his ship an' it wasn't until later I discovered that it was actually him who slayed his own crew. Don't know why though."

The man was truly a monster. Who would ruthlessly slaughter his whole _crew?!_ The few people you could trust with their lives to sail the dangerous seas together with. What in the world would compel him to slaughter his crew?

It dawned on her then. For him to cold-heartedly slaughter his whole crew. For him to torture his current crew with fear and whips. It was all about satisfaction. He satisfied himself by hurting his crew. He was a sadist who enjoyed seeing his crew suffer.

"Anyway, I'll head to town. Got to grab some booze an' check-up me wounds. I'm gonna get ol' tails at sunset."

Her eyes fluttered as Black*Star skilfully jumped over the railing of the ship and landed on the wooden harbour with a _'thud'_.

* * *

Black*Star did receive nine tails when he got back. She hid inside of the storage area, completely unable to watch him receive the ten whips. When it was over she cared for his wounds with the wondrous and curious ointment that healed wounds within hours. How she hadn't heard of it before was beyond her.

They'd been docked at the harbour for days. Her Captain leaving the ship at dawn to only return at sundown, with a large scorn on his face as he marched inside of his den without a word to the crew. None of the crewmembers knew what he did during the day. Black*Star bet he was out hunting for crewmembers, but then Kilik interjected that if he was on a hunt for replacements, then he would've already found them. What he was pursuing, it wasn't crewmembers.

Every day while the others were allowed to stroll through the small harbour town, Maka was stuck on the ship, mostly alone on the ship. Kilik and Ox would leave the ship to find women and rum to… _"socialize with"_ while Sid would walk back and forth down the harbour, gazing at the horizon with longing and sorrowful. Maka always pictured him to be a happy carpenter who enjoyed the sea, but he seemed… awfully down. What was he miserable over?

Black*Star had… changed. During breakfast, he wouldn't talk. Not brag about how great he was or talk about Soul's past. He wouldn't speak a word. When he'd eaten his breakfast, he would leave quietly, only to return with a goofy grin right before their Captain returned.

It was strange none the least. Maka had only served on Shibusen a handful of weeks and she felt included in the crew, but she knew nothing about her crewmates. She knew nothing of their pasts, presences or futures. They were simply… _there_ , existing and serving on the same ship as her. She would give the pirates some time to get used to her presence on the ship, maybe it would be easier to open up to her then.

This morning was different from the others. Captain Eater left as usual at dawn, Kilik and Ox left to as humbly spoken, _"screw women"_ , Sid left to continue his stroll down the harbour, Black*Star stayed wearing a large grin. As she cleaned away the bowls, pots and firewood, he slowly crept toward her.

"Psst hey Maka," Maka turned toward him, kneeling down on the ground and cupping his hand at the side of his mouth as to prevent someone from hearing. But who? There were only the two of them left.

"What? Why are you whispering?"

"Shhh! Don't scream!" He yelled louder than her.

Her eyebrow twitched with annoyance as she watched his eyes dart to every direction as if someone was watching them. "Ye can leave the boat. I can guard it."

Her heart twirled in her chest. "Really? But the Captain said I couldn't leave the ship."

"I'll cover for you. The Cap'n'll return at sunset, just make sure ye're back before then."

"But what if I meet him in town?"

He quickly waved it off with his hand. "That won't happen. He's most likely in some bar screwing some lasses an' drinking. Ye've got nothing to worry 'bout. Oh an' here―" He grabbed her hand as his other dived into his pocket, retrieving something and cold metals were placed on her palm. Removing his hand, she uncovered it was three silver pieces. "The Cap'n didn't give ye any money, take these an' spend it on some good. Not mirror or any girly crap like that."

She found herself staring at the three round silver coins in her hand. It wasn't a lot of money like she'd in her past. She could've bought hundreds of books (which she and her grandma did), dresses of the fines and most luxurious silk and watched entertainment fit for a queen. Living and working on Shibusen, it suddenly opened her eyes, three silver coins was _a lot_ of money. She could buy more ink for her quill, or another notebook or even perhaps a blanket. Many opportunities had opened up and Black*Star was offering her an escape of the ship. How long they would stay at Death Harbour was unknown, they could leave tomorrow or perhaps the next day. Pirates seized their moments and that was exactly what she was.

"I should leave." She spoke and smiled toward her friend. "Thank you Black*Star, I owe you one." They got up on their feet and headed toward the railing.

"No, we're even." Black*Star was on his way at lowering the bridge to the harbour, but Maka swung her legs over the railing and jumped off, landing quite hard on the wooden floor. She smirked toward the pirate on the ship, waving goodbye before she headed down the harbour.

Just like on the harbour she met Captain Eater on, there was a lot of people talking and trading. Fishermen negotiated prices on various kinds of fish with their customers in order to get their hands on as much money as possible.

She inhaled the scent of the sea mixed with fish and the scent of spices from shops and the scent of— she stopped and sniffed the air again— of _books_. The rough pages from the books and the ink telling amazing stories about adventures. Stories about love and lost. She could smell it. It smelt like her little hideout at her home inside of the library.

She followed the smell of books down the harbour, keeping an eye out for Sid. She didn't know quite yet if he was worthy her trust, but it was better to stay safe. As she followed the scent, walking passed bars and various kinds of shops, she came across a piece of paper glued to the red brick wall. It was quite old with its yellow hue and with large bold letters it said _"MISSING"_ and below was a painting of her face. Her hair was golden and long, her bangs neatly combed and her green eyes glistering in the sun.

Slowly she stalked closer to it, below her painting said _"Maka Albarn disappeared on the night of April 3_ _rd_ _. If found, please contact the closest sheriff. 5 000 gold coins are given to the person bringing her home alive."_

She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe what she saw. They were actually _looking for her?!_ Since when?

Seeing the poster made her gut twist and her fists to clench. Swiftly she grabbed the post and ripped it down from the wall. She took out her frustration and shredded the paper into millions of pieces, letting them rain down on the ground. On instinct she pulled her hat further down on her head and controlled no hair strands were visible. Now she had another reason to hide her appearance. She couldn't be caught. There was no way she would go back home this soon.

Her eyes caught sight of the location of the source of the heavenly scent of books. It was a small bookstore at the end of the harbour with a cute sign with _"book boutique"_ engraved in the dark wood. Her eyes darted to each side before she carefully slipped inside. The bell above the door rattled and she inhaled the warm book scent, the shock gradually melted from her body.

"Hiii!", her eyes met icy blue of a woman with short blond hair who stood behind the counter. Her hand gripped a brown pencil and on the surface of the counter were papers on display with various sizes of… giraffes? The one on the top seemed to be a work in progress. "You're looking for any books on giraffes?" She spoke with glee and almost song as she spoke to her.

"Umm," she offered the woman a smile. "I was actually looking for some i—"

"The section about giraffes is right there!" She leaned over the counter and pointed toward the other side of the small shop. "Right there! But if you want to buy my favourite book…" Her happy aura suddenly turned sinister and her hand balled, her knuckles turned bone-white. "—then you'll have to pay double the price!"

Maka backpedalled and shook her hands dismissingly. "O-okay…!" Quick like a cheetah, Maka disappeared behind shelves of books. The woman at the register started humming happily again like she'd never entered the store.

How could a woman, more like a young lady, gotten the job at the register when she drew pictures, jumped to conclusions based on her own interests and threatened the customers with higher prices? Now she understood why the shop was so small. It was because she scared away her customers so she could never upgrade her store. Where she'd gotten her books, the male shopkeepers always opened the door to the store for her, personally offered to assist her in finding what she wanted and shared information about incoming books. This lady… she was everything she hadn't pictured a storekeeper to be.

She gazed at books, skipping on the unexpectedly large section on giraffes and she was surprised at finding books about beauty advice. She'd never seen or heard books about beauty before. It was a first.

She continued moving passed the shelves of books rising from the ground all the way up to the ceiling. There wasn't a patch of wall, the shelves went around the windows and around a doorway with a black draper. She caught sight of the very small section with journals, quills and ink above the doorway. A smirk grew on her face and she marched with triumph toward the shelf right above the doorway with the dark draper. She reached up toward the shelf, rising up on her toes and stretching her arm, but her fingertips would barely brush the shelf.

She gazed through the aisles of shelves and one section away at the philosophy section she found an old-looking ladder leaning against a bookshelf. Quickly she retrieved it and moved it toward the shelf with the ink to the sound of the lady humming happily. Maka leaned it against the door frame and started climbing. The wood of the ladder creaked loudly for every step she climbed. Her goal was the single bottle of ink on the shelf. She leaned on the ladder and reached toward the ink, stretching her whole body to the sound of wood cracking.

The wood broke loudly and fell she through the black draper and hit her left knee hard on the ground. Her hat went flying and her hair poured around her shoulders and over her face.

"Shoot." She hissed and sat up from the ground. Her knee pulsed with pain as she carefully touched her knee.

Wood shrieked and a door swung open. She whipped her head toward the sound. "I told you Patty you shoulda' thrown it—" from around a corner inside of the mysterious room hidden behind the curtain appeared a woman much like the woman behind the register. She'd the same striking blue eyes and long blond hair. The woman in front of her looked much more mature than the one behind the r—

"I know I know sis!" The lady childishly peeked her head through the black drapers she'd fell from. "But mister Giraffe forced me to draw!"

The older and more mature version of the shopkeeper sighed loudly and rubbed the roof of her nose, shaking her head slightly. "Patty." She removed her hand from her face, inhaling deeply.

Maka snatched her had and scrambled up on her feet as more footsteps sounded. She leaned on her well knee to hurt her aching knee less, but when her eyes met red eyes, the ache was eradicated.

His eyes widened and her spine stiffened under his gaze. "Sprog?!" He exclaimed from beside an unknown man. "Ye were supposed to guard the ship!"

Her mouth hung ajar as she rapidly put on her hat as if it could protect her from his heavy red eyes. Her Captain wasn't supposed to _be there!_ Since when was her Captain into books?! Well, she didn't know her Captain, but he didn't seem to be a guy who enjoyed shoving his nose into books! She couldn't move. Her mouth closed and opened like a fish, she couldn't quite grasp the reality that her Captain was right in front of her.

"Well―"

"Is she a member of your crew?" The unknown man with dark hair as the night with three strips going around his head gazed at her Captain. He was dressed in a fine suit and he possessed golden eyes; eyes that captured the rays of light and caged it in his eyes.

Captain Eater sighed loudly and dragged his hand over his face. "… yes" His voice was strained. "Newly recruited."

The man straightened his back and brushed his hands on his fine suit. He moved his hand to his mouth and cleared his throat. "I believe we can come up with suitable terms to satisfy both parties." The man faced away from Captain Eater and his eyes locked with hers. His pale lips stretched into a gentle smile. He turned on his heels and disappeared around the corner where they'd come from.

Captain Eater's face stayed neutral for most times, except for the small changes in his expressions, these were one of those times. His usually half-lidded eyes were opened wider than normally. His jaw was tense and his hand clenched and unclenched.

"Sprog…" He almost whispered. "Return to the ship. Immediately."

She gulped and slowly nodded. "Aye aye." She watched her Captain follow the route the man with the pale strips in his hair. Quickly she tucked her hair under her hat and ran out of the bookstore.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

She went fast down the harbour with her head low, hiding her face from the citizens chatting with traders and loved ones. Her heart throbbing in her throat and her eyes still wide with shock. She couldn't process what had taken place inside of the bookstore. What had her Captain done inside of the shop behind the dark curtains? What had he and the strange man done? Were they trading… something? It sounded so judging from the strange man's words. Was this what her Captain had been spending his time on? Trying to reach a trade with the man?

Maka swallowed and wet her lips with her tongue. The longer she stayed on Shibusen, more skeletons were uncovered from their closets.

She sighed heavily and came to a halt in front of Shibusen's strong body, looking down at the dirtied wooden floor. It was for the best to join Arachnophobia as soon as possible before something tied her down to the ship.

Her eyes wandered up. The bridge wasn't down for her to board the ship. "Black*Star!" She yelled like many of the other crewmembers did when they wanted to board the ship when she was guarding it.

Silence. No reply from the obnoxious pirate. No footsteps.

"Black*Star?"

Seconds went and still no hurried curses or stumbling of feet. Had he fallen asleep? He sure seemed tired when he returned from a day on the harbour.

She rolled her eyes and balled her hands. Of course the knucklehead man would've fallen asleep on her. What else would he do all alone on the ship?

She couldn't stand on the harbour and holler his name until he awoke. If he was tired, then she could simply get on the ship herself and let him sleep some more.

Maka neared the rope tied to the harbour and held it tightly in her hands, wandered further out on the rope far enough for her to hook her legs around the rope. She climbed up the rope like a koala until her hands brushed the wood of Shibusen. Her legs unhooked from the rope, swinging them over the edge, pulling herself on Shibusen.

There. Finally on. Without that knucklehead's help.

Loud small of flesh against a wood sounded.

Her head whipped toward the rear end of the ship where the sleeping quarter is stationed. Had he fallen out of his hammock and hurt himself? Quickly she jogged toward the door to the sound of moaning. Her hand grabbed the knob and twisted it, swinging it open.

"Black*S―" Her blood ran cold. Oxygen suddenly vanished and she was left paralyzed, staring at Black*Star between a woman's legs. Both Black*Star's and the woman's eyes were wide as if guns were pressed against their skulls.

"I-I'm―"she was left speechless. Instead she let her hand do what she couldn't voice. She slammed the door closed and turned her back to the door, her cheeks heating up to an unbearable degree.

Had she just… walked in on them… No. That was only meant for married couples!

She quivered. Her hands shook from the view of her right-hand-man between a woman's legs. Maka had certainly _not_ seen a wedding ring on his ringer or any ring for that matter. So how could he… how could he…?

Her eyebrows narrowed with anger and her fists balled.

But it wasn't the first time she witnessed someone make love outside of their marriage.

Maka started walking away when the door slammed open and bare feet slapped against the floor. "Maka!" She didn't stop walking, she continued forward stomping extra loudly to went some of her pent-up anger. "Come on Maka!" Black*Star whined and clutched her elbow.

Quickly she spun around and slapped his hand away from her. "Don't. Touch me!"

"Okay, okay, just chill." He waved with his hands in defence. "Y'know a mighty God like me can't catch diseases. I'm too powerful for di―"

"Oh my―!" She almost gaged. "You're disgusting!" She pushed her fingers under her hat and pulled maddeningly at her hair, hair strings escaped the shadows. "Why are you even telling _me?!_ I'm not _your wife!_ " And she wouldn't want to be _his wife_. And poor woman who would be his wife. She couldn't even understand how he managed to convince a woman to do the most intimate and the most passionate act only meant for married couples.

"Huh? Why would I only do it with me wife?" He arched his eyebrow as he rested his palms on his hips. "A God has needs that need to be met."

Her mouth tasted bitter. His words soiled the air they breathed and her gut twisted with disgust. There wasn't a single thought in her head that could justify sleeping with a woman who wasn't your wife. There were dogs among the humans and she couldn't wrap her mind around the thought of being with someone on that intimate level beside her future-husband. A person she loved and trusted with her life. Nobody else could she trust her body and heart to.

"I'm done." She turned on her heel.

Black*Star latched onto her again. "Wait." She paused. Not moving. "Please don't tell anyone about this. She's quite cool an' I don't want her to be in trouble because I slacked."

She faced him, looking into his surprisingly blue eyes. His eyes unexpectedly soft like a small puppy gazing into the owners eyes. She'd never seen his eyes so soft before, especially when he talked about a woman. Could there maybe be… _something?_

"My lips are sealed."

A large grin spread on his face, he showed off all his slightly yellow teeth. "Thanks! I owe ye!"

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Can you please… you know… quit it."

"Oh, right." He flashed a thumb up toward her, winking toward her. "I promise we'll be quiet!"

Her mouth hung ajar when she watched Black*Star return inside of the sleeping quarters where the woman was waiting, hopefully clothed for him.

Maka climbed up the net up the main mast and settled into the wooden bowl Ox spend most of his days at. She watched the small ant-people wander around on the port.

A few hours later locked inside of the sleeping ward, Black*Star and the strange woman with long black hair exited their hideaway. Her eyes never left them as she watched Black*Star walk close to her, their hands brushing and large smiles on their faces.

Something had changed with the male pirate. It wasn't his clothes or his hair even though they were messy, but something else. He looked lighter. Light as a feather and he glowed with happiness, almost radiating with it. They share a quick but what looked to be a very passionate kiss, before Black*Star lowered the bridge and they bid farewell.

She wanted to talk to him about it. He so strongly objectified women. He engaged in love making and shared such a strong moment with a woman, could he be… could his opinions be changing―

"KACKA!" Royal Thunder came soaring toward her and quickly she climbed down from Ox's scouting spot. Royal Thunder violently and angrily pecked her shoulders and head.

She waved her arms as she yelled "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" but it wouldn't do. He didn't stop until Maka had escaped down the hatchet.

* * *

The day ended as usual. The crew returned to then have their Captain return at sunset. It was a normal day at the harbour, but the next day proved to be different.

"Ahoy!" Every pirate seated by the fire turned their heads toward the unknown sound. Black*Star cocked his eyebrow questioningly before he put down his bowl. Every eye followed Black*Star as he wandered toward the railing.

"Ahoy!" He greeted back as he rested his elbows leisurely on the wooden railing of Shibusen. "What business do ye've with the great Black*Star?!"

"Isn't this ship Shibusen?"

Black*Star paused. The other crewmembers seemed to stiffen. Sid's hands slowly moved to the handle of his knife as if the stranger would jump aboard and start a fight. Could the stranger know about the true identity behind Shibusen?

"Yeah. What 'bout it?"

"We're your new crewmembers. Captain Eater has hired us." The strange man spoke, but now when Maka listened to his voice carefully, it does seem familiar. Her instincts told her she'd heard the voice before, but she didn't know who the voice belonged to.

Black*Star turned his head toward the other pirates, as if asking if they knew anything about new crewmembers. Sid and Ox faced Kilik, he simply shrugged his shoulders.

Black*Star's attention returned toward the stranger. "Sorry, we don't 'now anything 'bout n―"

The familiar shriek of a door caught everybody's attention and they saw their Captain exit his den. "Let them in."

"But Cap―"

"Let, them, in. They're the new canon managers."

Them?

Black*Star slowly nodded. He started lowering the bridge to let the new crewmembers inside.

"And the rest of ye," Captain Eater shifted his attention toward the rest of the crew. His eyes locked with Maka's and she felt air around her grow denser and the joy seemed to be sucked out of her. "Kilik, Ox, ye stock up the food storage. Sid, ye run safety checks on the ship. Black*Star ye welcome the new crew an' show them around. Sprog…" he paused. His hands tightened. "ye clean." And the Captain retreated back to his den.

The bridge slapped onto the harbour and boots clicked on the wood. Maka's eyes widen and her jaw hung open at the sight of the young storekeeper, the young blond woman and the man with the odd white circle on his dark hair. All three of them had backpacks on their backs, the young woman with the blond long hair had double the size of the others bags.

"Hi." The man greeted with an elegant wave.

"It's you?!" She burst out with her eyes still wide.

The man's eyes set on her and he smiled. "Well yes. Hello Maka." Her jaw still hung wide open and she watched the three stroll over the rest of the pirates as Black*Star pulled up the bridge. "My name is Kincaid Death, but everybody calls me as Death the Kid―"

Maka jumped in shock when the bridge slammed loudly onto the port. Black*Star gazed in shock at the man known as Death the Kid. " _Ye're_ Death the Kid?!"

"Yes. Have you heard of me?" The man gazed at him.

"Heard of ye? Ye're the _second_ best pirate the seven seas've seen! When ye wield yer guns ye're like a reaper!" Black*Star puffed out his chest and stood tall, but not taller than Death the Kid. "But _I'm_ THE greatest pirate there is! I'm the all mighty BLACK*STAR!"

Kid cocked his eyebrow as he stared at the obnoxious pirate brag about himself.

"Don't mind him." Kilik spoke. "He only talks bilge."

"Does he do that all the time?" Maka jumped in her seat and almost spilled her ginger soup on the floor. She flipped around on the log and saw the two women in front of him. "Did his mother drop him on the head?" The older one of them spoke. Took of her backpack and dropped it to the ground. It loudly collided with the floor.

"Yes, he does this pretty much on daily basis. Don't worry about it, you'll learn to ignore him."

The lady smiled wide at her. "Have you ever seen any giraffes?" Her blue eyes sparkled when she mentioned the animal she seemed to adore.

"Um, no, unfortunately not."

The lady's face turned sorrowful. Her blue eyes usually sparkling with joy was sucked out of them.

"Patty." The other one spoke, patting her back when she pouted with disappointment. "We might see one on our job."

Instantly her eyes lit up and the spark that ceased to exist was once again restored in the pools of blue. "Really?!"

"Yes."

Her hands flew up in the sky and she chanted "giraffe" repeatedly.

The older one of them smiled and she slowly shook her head. "Patty is a cheerful one." She held out her hand toward her. "I'm Liz and Patty's my younger sister. Your name is Maka, right?"

"Yes it is." She lowered her head and gave her a bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you." When she raised her head, she wasn't expecting Liz to stare at her with surprise. Awkwardly she retrieved her hand. Had she expected her to shake her hand like she'd seen many men greet each other? But she was a woman― she understood. She wasn't raised the same way she was. Of course their greeting rituals would be different.

The damage was already done. There was no way she could turn the clock backwards.

"Well look at you." She playfully shoved her elbow at her torso. "Aren't yah a well-mannered thing."

Every drop of blood in her veins turned to ice. The air was sucked out of her lungs and she could only stare at the older sister.

"Liz! Patty!"

Her shoulders slumped with relief when she gazed at Kid who'd wrapped up his conversation with Kilik. "What's it Kid?"

"Kilik will show us to the sleeping quarters." The corners of his lips turned up and he gazed at Maka just like he did when he first spoke her name.

"Yes! I'm dying for a nap. Packing all of my things took forever." Liz picked up her bag and swung it over her shoulder. Both the sisters and Kid followed Kilik toward the sleeping ward.

But Kilik wasn't supposed to give them the tour.

Maka's glanced at Black*Star who'd a large grin on his face. His eyes were darker than ordinary and sparked with evil intentions. He rubbed his hands as he and Ox went down the already lowered bridge, down on the harbour.

Everybody seemed to address to their given jobs. Maka cleaned away the breakfast and stored the tools in their usual place in the box by the railing. She gathered the mop and bucket from below and started to clean the deck. She watched Ox and Black*Star work hard with rolling the barrels of liquids onto the ship and carry large wooden boxes with canned food.

When all the items were on the ship and Sid gave the thumb up to sail, they set sail toward and unknown location. After the sisters and Kid seemed to finish unpacking their things, they exited the sleeping ward and all of them and Kilik worked on the sailings.

Maka finished moping the upper decks, she wiped her forehead from sweat. The sun ragingly gazed down at the ship and the water reflected what seemed like every ray the sun produced on her exposed forearms. She was lucky she wore her hat to protect her face from the sun.

She picked up the mop and bucket, heading toward the hatchet with the intentions of continuing her cleaning. With Black*Star and Ox filling up the pantry room with food, there ought to be a mess down there.

She froze when she was about to set down her cleaning tools. Murmurs. Voices. Someone was down there. Her eyes fluttered closed and she moved closer toward the hatchet. She sharpened her hearing, but as much as she tried to hear what the conversation was about, she couldn't. There was only one way to find out.

She slammed the hatchet open, grabbed her tools and climbed down the ladder, closing the hatchet after her. Almost instantly the door to the front of the ship opened and out came Black*Star.

"Hey Maka." He closed the door behind him, smiling rather nervously toward her. "What are ye doin' here?"

She cocked her eyebrow as she gazed at the pirate. "I'm cleaning?" The pirate seemed nervous for once. He didn't radiant with the obnoxious self-confidence he'd always managed to maintain. His shoulders were drawn to his ears and he completely missed his neck. "And what're you doing down here? Aren't you supposed to steer the ship?"

"Oh, yeah, 'bout that." He ran his hand through his hair. "I got a little seasick. Nothing a God like me can't handle. No need to hunt for sacrifices."

"Seasick?" She questioned. "You've sailed on Shibusen for years and you caught a little seasickness?"

"Yeah! What 'bout it! Even a God can get a little woozy!" He leaned against the door he'd exited from.

"You're expecting me to believe you? I'm not stupid!"

"Ye're if ye're picking a fight with a GOD!" He bristled out.

"I'm _not_ picking a fight with you!" She exhaled frustratingly. "Just get up and get over yourself. I need to clean the lower deck before dinner." She made an attempt at moving passed Black*Star but he moved in her way.

"It's already clean."

"Black*Star." She growled.

"I swear. I already cleaned it."

"I know you're lying."

"How? A God can't lie!"

She slapped her hand on her face and slowly dragged it downward. "Because there is only _one mop on this ship!_ "

"So? I still cleaned it."

"Just move away Black*Star and let me do my job!" She pushed him away and earned curses and a whole bucket full of excuses when she turned the doorknob and the door swung open. Black*Star was silent as Maka entered the pantry. Barrels were strapped onto the walls, sacks and boxes were neatly categorized and stacked. As she'd know, the boys had dragged a lot of dust and dirt down into the pantry with them.

She rolled her eyes when she pushed the door shut and a woman stood behind the door―

Her eyes widen when she realized what she was seeing. A woman with dark hair in a beautiful ponytail― _the woman she'd caught Black*Star with!_

"BLACK*STAR!" She roared and instantly the door swung open, he peeked his head through the space.

"I can explain."

She sighed loudly and rubbed the bridge of her nose in annoyance. How come it was always _her_ catching Black*Star doing stupid things. How on earth was it always _her?_

"I don't want one." She inhaled and gripped the mop and the bucket harder. "I'll just back away from here and pretend I didn't see anything. And you didn't see me either, okay?"

That seemed to satisfy Black*Star. He grinned wide and gave her a thumb up. "You got it!"

Maka ended up cleaning the lower deck (except for the pantry). Black*Star came and went to the pantry as soon as he could. Maka didn't want to know any details of what he did inside of the pantry with the woman. She'd already possessed _far_ more details about their… _status_ than she wished.

Dinner came and she got to learn a lot more about the sister pair. The younger sibling, Patty, wasn't the shopkeeper, but Kid was. They usually didn't put her at the register, but now they did when Liz and Kid had been negotiating a proper agreement for him to serve on his ship. The problem seemed to be Kid refused to join since he knew Liz and Patty would be exposed to a dangerous environment because of their gender.

It was very sweet in her opinion. Kid really cared about the sibling pair that he refused to join Shibusen because of it. It was only when he'd seen Maka he'd changed his mind because knowing there was another woman on the ship soothed his fear for the sisters to come in harm's way.

She couldn't help the smile that stretched over her face. Kid's devotion and care toward the sisters were heart-warming.

Night came and she went to lie on the hard floor. It took longer than usual to fall asleep because of the knowledge of a stranger aboard the ship. What would their Captain do when he found out about her? She'd seen how he treated his crew and since she wasn't a crew member… she might end up with more than whips.

Even though she'd only met her, not even spoken to her, she didn't want something to happen to her. She didn't seem to have any malevolent motives.

Maka fell asleep only to be awaken what felt like seconds later by a loud roar. Her eyes snapped open and her mind was still in the land of dreams.

"―der! There's an intruder!" Ox hollered at the top of his lungs.

The sleep was repelled instantly from her body.

She'd been found.

Maka shot up from the floor, stormed out of the storage room and out in the canon hallway. The hatchet was already open and Kid, and Liz climbed down the ladder, Sid and Ox were already downstairs. Ox had the woman's hands behind her back. Her button shirt was wrinkled and her dark stockings rolled at her knees.

Quickly the blue-haired idiot jumped down the ladder the moment Liz'd moved away. His eyes were wide as his locked with her apologetic ones.

"I'm sorry." Her head shrunk to her shoulders. "I thought it was you."

"It's 'right." He pushed passed Liz and Kid who stared in awe at the situation, unable to quite grasp the situation. "Let her go."

Ox cocked his eyebrow and glanced at the woman before his eyes moved to Black*Star. "You 'now her?"

"Hell yeah I do. I snuck her onto the ship." Black*Star spoke with confidence, staring Ox right in his eyes. "Ye better let her go."

"Why should I?" Ox narrowed his eyes at him. "Captain hasn't given her a spot here. She's a nuisance to this ship. We can't afford having here h―"

"You little―"

"Before any of you continue," Kid spoke and neared the two. "You might want to release her. There're already six pirates here. There's no way she'll escape."

"I give you my word I won't." The woman pitched in.

Ox grimaced at the idea.

"We can't do that." Sid exclaimed and moved closer to Ox. Two sides had already been made with Kid and Liz on Black*Star's side and Sid beside Ox. "It goes against the rules. We can't let an intruder walk freely."

"What the hell happened to ye!" Black*Star balled his fists and bared his teeth. "Weren't ye always the one who stood up for other people?! Weren't ye always the one who wanted to help people?!"

"She hasn't done any harm yet." Sid countered. "But she's broken the rules an' the rules have to be followed at all costs. That's the kind of man I've become."

"The rules can fuck off! What would yer wife say if she saw ye now?! Huh?! She'd rather starve for a week than seeing ye right now!"

"Don't bring her into t―"

The familiar sound of heavy boots on wood cut of the argument at once. The sound was slow, not stressed at all. A flash of black and white and a _'thud'_ later, their Captain joined them below in only his black pants and matching shirt to Maka's. He gazed at every single one of them, analysing the situation carefully. His gaze stopped at the strange woman before he turned to Black*Star.

"Ye brought her aboard the ship?"

Black*Star nodded with his chin up with pride, showing not a shred of remorse. "Yes. I snuck her in at Death Harbour."

Captain Eater paused. "Foolish decision."

"Captain, according to the rules she's to walk the plank. She could be a spy―"

"Oh shut up Sid!" Black*Star snarled at the man who stood with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Be quiet Black*Star." Captain spoke calmly. "She doesn't have a place here. Sid, prepare the plank."

The woman's eyes widen with fear painted on her face. Sid moved toward the ladder to prepare the plank for the execution.

"Captain." Kid spoke up. "With all due respect, she's done 'thing wrong to us. We could simply turn back an' leave her unharmed at the harbour. There is no need to kill her."

"My decision is absolute―"

"Wait!" Black*Star raised his hand and neared Sid, using his body to make sure Sid didn't get passed him. "She's a doctor! A damned good one! She addressed yer God's wounds amazingly an' quickly. We could use a doctor like her."

"It doesn't change the fact we don't have any room for more crewmembers. The food we've can't feed 'nother mouth an' there's no space for her." Ox bristled and backed away from the angered right-hand-man.

"She could share a bed with me." Liz spoke up for the first time. "And I wouldn't mind giving her some of my share of the food."

"I don't mind either." Maka spoke up, joining Liz at her side. "She's a person just like everybody else." Maka gulped and bravely met her Captain's cold and unreadable stare. She met him head on and tightened her fists. "We don't need to spill her blood. She's done nothing wrong and it's exactly like Black*Star says. She's a doctor. Ox doesn't possess that well of knowledge about medicine." She paused. "This woman could prove to save everybody's lives."

The tension in the air aroused. Everybody was quiet, staring at their Captain in anticipation. Maka's heart pounded in her chest. It felt like she fought against a dragon and she was the one in shiny armour.

Captain Eater gave his back to the crew. "Welcome aboard lass."

Black*Star sighed with relief.

The air in the cannon hallway instantly shifted to the better. Maka felt like she'd slayed the dragon and finally won.

"She's to receive her food an' beverage from other. She won't gain a hammock of her own. Am I clear?"

"Aye aye Captain!" Every pirate on the third level chanted loudly. Ox more bewildered than the others while Sid seemed relieved by the outcome.

"YAHOOO!" Black*Star hollered loudly and leapt toward the woman. She smiled with joy as Ox released her. She welcomed Black*Star's hug as he hissed her in the air. "Ye're staying Tsu!"


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Maka was living her dream. Surrounded by salt water and the sun gazing down at them. As she grew closer to Kid, Liz, Patty and Tsubaki, the girl hidden in the pantry, she loved her life even more. At mornings at breakfast, they would talk. They would get to know each other. At nights after they loot a ship, there'd be a party. Sid would play a weird string instrument that consisted of metal strings and what appeared to be a pot and a pipe mended together. They'd all be dancing and the next one Liz would have a death grip on her shoulders when Kilik told the most horrifying and bone-shaking horror stories.

She found herself being able to trust her life in their hands as every day went by.

But this wasn't permanent. Her goal was Arachnophobia and she was determined to serve beside the Gorgon Trio. Even if that wasn't permanent either. She knew, the pirate life would also come to an end eventually.

"Hey Maka."

She gazed up from the strings of the mop and at the right-hand-man cooking lunch beside Tsubaki. They'd seemed to be inseparable. It could be because of their… ties. She didn't want to think about it.

"Yes?"

"Could ye give Cap'n his lunch?" Black*Star had his arm thrown around Tsubaki's shoulders.

Maka wasn't eager to help him. Last time she'd helped him out, she'd gotten caught by her Captain and seen Black*Star and Tsubaki… _reproduce_. What he'd asked for was innocent. But the possibility of falling flat on the floor or having her Captain catch her not doing her job was low. Now, for the first time she wasn't as eager to help. He could bite off her neck with his sharp teeth.

"Why can't you do it?"

"I can't." He waved his hand that was settled around Tsubaki's slim shoulders. "Arm's struck."

Maka rolled her eyes. Annoyance made her blood run hot. "Idiot." She murmured and swiftly grabbed his collar, started dragging him away from Tsubaki.

"HEY! WHAT THE HELL?!" He squirmed as Maka dragged him away, yelling an apology toward the kind woman seated on the log. She'd nothing against the woman, in fact, she was far too kind. So caring and gentle. Almost fragile. But she had some dynamite in her. She could tell in the look in her eyes.

Maka dragged him up the stairs at the rear of the ship and that's when she let go of him.

His behind hit hard and he cursed colourfully. "What the fuck Maka?! I was going to make a move on her!"

That reminded her. Black*Star's objectifying view of women. Why in the world would he go so far for a girl like Tsubaki? "What are you doing?"

"What?"

"All of this." Maka nodded toward the direction where Tsubaki sat and stirred the spoon in the soup. "Why did you bring her on this ship?"

He blinked. A large grin grew on his face and a dark mischievous glimpse in his eyes. "Ye jealous?"

She was lucky she hadn't eaten any breakfast yet or she might've thrown up. Her gut twisted and she felt bile rise in her throat. She made a loud sound of disgust and backpedalled. "You're disgusting!"

Black*Star instantly broke out laughing and fell to the ground, clutching his stomach. He rolled around on the ground and his eyes turned moist.

Her hands balled and she sprinted toward him. "SHUT UP!" Her fist connected with his jaw and his laughter abruptly ended.

"Sorry." He automatically apologized.

She sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. "Listen, just tell me, you don't like women. Why would you go to such length if you only see her as an object of pleasure?"

He sat up on the ground and rubbed his hurting jaw. "She's good in bed." He shrugged his shoulders. "That's really all."

Confusion struck her.

How could he…? How could he hide her, bringer her on the ship, fight for her right against crewmembers and their Captain, just for her when all she was was simply an object of pleasure? She couldn't wrap her mind around the idea.

"How can you…?" She stared at him.

"Can what?"

"Use her like that."

"Oh don't worry 'bout that." He grinned proudly like he'd been gifted with a shiny new toy. "I give her fair share of the pleasure—"

"I can't believe you." She turned on her heel, ready to walk downstairs.

"Wait! Ye're goin' to serve the Cap's food, savvey?"

She stopped in her track. She's completely forgotten why she'd brought him there to begin with. She sighed with defeat and shook her head slightly. "Just this once." She went downstairs.

Tsubaki kindly handed her the Captain's tray she'd prepared. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman. Only if she knew… only if she knew her kindness was being used by the one she trusted her… body to.

As the others sat down to eat, Maka headed toward the Captain's Cabin.

She could do this. In and out quickly. Don't look the beast in his eyes. She could do this. The corner of her lip twitched. If he wasn't around, she could always put a nail on his chair and hear the roar of the creature.

She liked the thought. Maybe that would get him to think twice before he messed with his crew.

A knock on the door later, she heard her Captain welcome her in. With the tray in her free hand, she twisted the doorknob and the door slid open.

It was the first time she'd ever been inside of the Captain's Cabin. It was larger than she'd thought it was, but then again, it was the Captain's Cabin. What had she expected? The room was decorated with mahogany tables and chairs with dark red silk and a large beautiful couch. On the wall decorated two beautiful crossed swords. A great and nice coloured window of every colour covered the back. The colours were shaped into figures, one was of a mermaid with a pale fishtail, equally pale shell-bra decorating her chest and a white skull covering her face. On the other side of the glass was of a very handsome sailor. A sailor with a similar jacket like her Captain, instead it was a stark red. Golden eyes decorated the man's eyes and in his hand he held a golden spyglass, gazing at the mermaid seated on a rock.

The door slid shut and her Captain was nowhere to be seen.

Could she possibly find something sharp…?

She entered deeper in the beast's den and neared the wide mahogany desk with rolls of papers decorating it. She pushed aside some rolls to put down the tray. Hopefully she wasn't making a too big of a mess. Papers upon papers were moved to the side to clear enough space for her to put down the tray. She silently put down the tray on the desk, her eye caught sight of a corner of a document.

It was only a quarter of the document, but she would recognize it from a mile away. Out from the layers of papers, the edge of black entwined with white. Slowly she pulled the document from the mess of papers, she was met with the full symbol. It was an abstract floor with black and white lines that shaped into rough spiky edges to smooth curves. At every quarter of the circle, two circles were connected.

She'd seen this symbol before. It wasn't long ago she first discovered the symbol. The first time she set eyes on the symbol on a letter, containing her worst nightmare.

It was the symbol of engagement and healthy marriage for aristocrats.

The symbol had come to represent the annual ball that was held at Mort Castle. The symbol would be proudly hung of the castle's walls and as soon as you entered the ball room, the symbol would decorate the large dance floor―

"What're ye doing?"

Maka jumped at the voice, the document tumbled out of her hands and hit the ground. On the other side of the room near a dark wood door the beast eyed her.

"You're not allowed to look through me documents!" He rapidly neared her. His hip bumped against a chair and it smashed to the ground. His face stayed fixed on hers.

Her fists balled and her eyebrows narrowed.

Now when she thought about it, the ball was rapidly coming closer. Had her Captain planned at attacking the ball and claiming their treasures? The aristocrats who always attended were drowning in the finest gold and diamonds. There was plenty of wealth to get their hands on. And plenty of people to harm. Including her beloved grandma.

She swallowed down her fears and her eyes set aflame just in time for her Captain to round his desk. "And what are you planning?" Quickly she picked up the document and thrusted the piece of paper toward his face. "Are you planning at striking at the annual ball? There are p―"

Maka was taken back when his hands gripped her wrists and he backed her against the coloured glass window. He pinned her hands high above her head and he pressed his body against hers. "What do ye know?" He growled lowly at her, his eyes turning shades darker.

So she'd hit the nail on the head. "I figured you out. You're going to murder all those innocent aristocrats and claim their treasures, huh? Are you r―"

"I couldn't care less about stiff-assed aristo-trash." His voice dipped down to a sinister and threatening tone. "The symbol! What does it mean?!" His free hand roughly latched onto her throat. His hand squeezed hard as he shook her violently. "Answer me!"

She chipped for air, fighting her hands in his strong grip. "It's an aristocrat symbol!" She forced out. "It's a symbol of engagement and healthy marriages. It's the symbol of the annual aristocrat ball that's held annually for young gentlemen and gentlewomen to meet and find a spouse."

"Where's this symbol?" He growled animalistic at her. "Is it on a wall? A painting? Where is its origins!"

Rapidly she chipped for air and forced it down in her lungs. "Floor painting. It's inside of Mort Castle."

"Mort Castle…" He tasted the words in his mouth. His hands instantly let go of her and she slammed on the floor, coughing and breathing heavily. "Exit my Cabin immediately." He spoke quickly as he headed toward the door.

She couldn't understand. She didn't understand at all. His outburst. His suddenly predatory glare and threatening aura. She'd seen her Captain lusting for blood, but she'd never seen him with such sinister determination and thirst for knowledge before. She thought of it for a long time as she breathed heavily and massaged her sore neck, but she couldn't come up with an answer.

As soon as she exited his cabin, the crew was up. Patty and Kilik pulled at the sails, Kid and Liz climbing up the neat on each side and Ox was up in his basket at the top of the main sail. Sid was nowhere to be seen.

"Port Mort!"

She flipped around and saw Captain and Black*Star beside the steering wheel. Black*Star looked baffled at their Captain as he held a map in his hands. Where he'd kept it, Maka had no clue.

"Full sail toward Port Mort. I need to be there as soon as possible." He demanded with a rough voice as he pointed repeatedly at a spot on his map.

"Captain it'll take at least fifteen days to sail there."

"Make it ten days." He flipped his coat dramatically and his red eyes set on hers. "Sprogs, me cabin. Now."

She cocked her eyebrow as he descended the stairs. First he wanted her out, now he wants her in again, couldn't he decide?

He shoved her inside of his cabin and slammed the door shut after them. "Tell me, when's this ball?"

"Umm." She watched her Captain cross the room to his desk, quickly he scrambled for a quill and ink. "I think it's in approximately in twelve days."

"Twelve days." He muttered, finding a piece of paper and scribbled down quickly. "What's the dress code?"

"Formal."

"Where is the symbol?"

"Inside of the ballroom. It's in the epicentre of the castle."

He hummed, noting the information down. He cupped his chin and rubbed it quizzically. "Ye know a lot 'bout this ball." He lifted his eyes from the paper and eyed her. "Far more than I think a simple farmer's lass would."

She stiffened under his suspicious stare. Had he figured her identity out? She should've known to be more careful of her words.

"Y-yes. I agree." She moved her hand to the back of her neck and massaged it. "Me and my grandma actually delivered meat to the castle in preparation of the ball. M-my grandma actually was acquaintance with one of the chefs who let us inside of the ballroom, that's how I saw it."

He silently stared at her from behind his desk. Moments later, he faced his notes and put the quill back in the ink bottle. "Leave. Clean up the upper rear. Black*Star made a mess."

"Aye aye Captain." She exited the beast's den.

* * *

"Man." Black*Star spoke with awe as he turned the wooden steering wheel. "I can't believe he actually solved the mystery of 'hat thing."

The wind caressed her exposed cheeks and cooled her soaked hands. The scrub in her hand loudly noised as it was dragged over railing where Black*Star had failed to dump his poop outside of the ship.

"He's been hung up over that symbol since I joined the ship." The steering wheel loudly clicked as he turned it in the opposite direction. "I first thought Oni's treasure an' Oni's legend was a hoax, but damn. We're going to find his treasure!"

"What is it we're even looking for?" She dipped the scrub in the bucket filled with brown water.

"Lass, it's the king o' treasures." She could hear him grin. "Oni was the first true pirate of the seven seas. He sailed the seas alone on his ship, conquered every ship his eyes set on an' claimed their goods."

"How could a single pirate sail one ship alone? That's impossible." A single man couldn't possibly steer the wheel and adjust the sails at the same time.

Black*Star chuckled and heartily turned the steering wheel. "Oh yes it was possible. Oni possessed all the knowledge of a true pirate. That's why he's a legend. It says even the most skilled pirate, like our Cap'n, only possesses a small fraction of his knowledge of the seas and piracy. If someone were to know everything Oni knew, the pirate would become invincible an' unstoppable."

A pirate with such variety of knowledge that made him a God of the sea, could there've really been such a person? She found it hard to believe. The evidence was against it. No person could sail a ship on his own, a single man couldn't take down an entire crew and claim their goods. It simply couldn't be.

"But I'm bigger than Oni. I'm a legend! I'm the almighty BLACK*STAR!"

"SHUT UP!" Maka exclaimed and threw the scrub at the back of his head. The scrub clattered to the ground and it left a nasty dark patch in his hair. "Tell me what Oni's treasure is."

He turned around and gave her a nasty glare, but it was worth the look of disgust and shock when his hand felt the liquid at the back of his head. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?! I'VE SHIT IN MY HAIR!"

She smiled smug as she rose from her sore knees. "If you hadn't missed the sea, you wouldn't have faeces all on you." She placed her hands on her hips. "Tell me, what do you think the treasure is?"

"After ye throwing shit at yer God? Hell no! Why would— wow, wow, WOW! Put the bucket down!" His eyes widened and he raised his hands in surrender at Maka holding the bucket, ready at emptying it on him. "Ye're such a violent an' threatening woman, lass. How could ye _ever_ get dicked?"

She slit her eyes and tightened her hold on the wooden bucket.

"No one really knows what the treasure is, but a legend like Oni had to leave one big treasure behind." He turned back toward the steering wheel. "Who knows. It could be an island of treasures, all his knowledge written down in a book, or some magic voodoo tricks."

An unknown treasure. Maka could see herself and the crew finding Oni's treasure, a hidden chamber in the mountains filled with high bookshelves full with hundreds of books on every subject. The walls decorated with golden frames and paintings worth fortunes. That's a treasure worth sailing the seas for years.

A large grin spread on her face. Quick steps, she rushed over to him and emptied the bucket over his head. He let out a high feminine shriek of disgust as the warm liquids painted him brown. Slowly he turned around with anger in his eyes as the liquid dripped from his now brown hair. "Ye're dead, lass. Yer God will punish ye!"

She couldn't help it. She burst out laughing as Tsubaki from the lower deck stifled giggles looking at the brown and smelling man.

"Yo Star!" Kilik hollered from up on a branch of the main sail.

Black*Star angrily snapped his eyes toward his.

"Smelling a little bad today? Maybe ye should pull yer shit together?"

Instantly the sister pair hollered loudly, being reduced to a laughing mess on the floor.

Black*Star shot Maka one final angry look before he stormed down the stairs, leaving footprints of brown on the wood.

She would've to clean it up and she regretted nothing.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Several days of intensive sailing on the part of the pirate crew, and intensive cleaning on her part after the faeces scandal on the ship, they docked just in time at Port Mort. They'd arrived late night just in time for the grand ball. Everybody went to bed exhausted. That morning, she wasn't awoken by Black*Star or Tsubaki's cooking.

Her eyes snapped open in an instant at the sound of a loud metallic collision on the main deck.

"Wake up! Wake up maggots!" To her surprise, she recognized the voice as her Captain's. What was he doing outside of his den?

With her body still heavy with sleep and eyes heavy, she dragged herself up, got dressed and climbed up to the main deck.

The hatchet slammed loudly when she shut it. On the main deck the rest of the crew was already gathered, rubbing their eyes and yawning. The only one who didn't seem tired was her Captain who stood with two lids in his hands and a long red silk fabric draped over his shoulder.

Captain Eater threw the lids to the floor and they clanged loudly. "This afternoon's the ball. We've a lot of work to do till then." It was the first time Maka heard him speak as a leader and not a predator. "Kilik an' Sid, I need ye to go to the castle an' stealthily check the area. I want ye to check the condition of the castle an' the security. I want to know every detail about it."

"Aye aye Captain." Kilik gave Captain Eater a salute.

"Ox, I need you to get a nice carriage for the ball." Captain Eater retrieved a small brown bag with what she assumed was money in it. He threw it at Ox and he caught it with both of his hands. "The most expensive-looking carriage there is."

Ox nodded toward the Captain and the bird on his shoulder loudly spread his wings. "Roger."

"Sprog, Liz, Patty an' Tsubaki." Tsubaki's eyes widened for a second in shock at her name being called. "I want ye to work yer feminine magic on Sprog. Make her presentable for the ball."

Maka's chin hit the floor. Had she heard it correct? No. She couldn't have. It all became too real when he pulled at the red silk and threw it at her. She caught the cloth and it proved to be a long elegant dress fit for an aristocrat. A beautiful blood red corset with roses on and shot sleeves that would rest on your biceps and a large skirt pooling out from the corset.

"H-hold up!" Maka exclaimed. "You can't be serious!"

"Oh yes I am." The shred of leadership his voice held left with the wind and left was a cold and demanding tone. He lifted his hand and pointed toward the dress in her hands. "Ye're the only one small enough to fit it. Ye're the one who's seen the symbol before. Ye're the perfect candidate for the job."

"But—"

The air dramatically changed and grew heavier as his eyes slit, turning as dark as his clothes. "It's not negotiable." His eyes abandoned hers, indicating the end of the conversation. "Black*Star. I need ye to prepare a large breakfast an' get some things for the ball."

"What?" Black*Star shouted and his eyes turned wide. "No assassination of the guards? No going with KIlik an' Sid to check the place out? Why do I get stuck with the shitty job?!"

"Black*Star." Tsubaki grabbed his hand and gave it a warningly squeeze.

"The last time I gave ye a stealth mission ye blew our cover by egocentrically boasting about yerself to the enemy Captain." Captain Eater tiredly explained. "The one who fails their part will get the nine tails." Captain Eater's eyes returned to Maka. "Except Sprog, if ye fail, ye'll join Shinigami."

She gulped.

What a nightmare.

* * *

A nightmare indeed it was. A scolding bath in a small wooden box, hurtful scrubbing off dead skin and painful pulling of her hair, she was reminded of the painful life of an aristocrat once again. But this time it seemed to be tougher. The water appeared to be hotter, and the scrubbing more agonizing and the painful process of entangling her knots was excruciating.

Liz was relentless with her brush and Maka discovered Patty had muscles in her tiny arms and an unbearable stamina when it came to scrubbing off the dirt from her skin.

When she was finally let out from the bath, her body was aching and skin burning an irritated red from the scrub. Tsubaki had handed her a towel to dry herself. Patty came skipping with the red dress her Captain had given her.

The scrubbing and the painful combing of her hair had been a painful reminder of her past, but the dress was the solid reminder of the life she'd left behind.

Her eyes set at the back of the corset right at the top of it were _'M.A'_ embroidered in golden cursive letters.

Now this was ridiculous. How in the world had her Captain managed to get hold of her dress and why had he _kept it?!_

"Are you okay Maka?"

She faced Tsubaki's concerned expression and quickly shook her head. "Y-yes. I simply admired the dress. I never thought I would get the chance to wear something as fine as this one."

"It is a lovely dress." She commented.

There was a knock on the door and soon followed Black*Star's voice. "I got the things."

"Great!" Patty and Liz jumped from Patty's hammock and ran toward the door. "I can't wait to see the jewellery!" Liz giggled loudly as they disappeared out of the room.

Maka grabbed her undergarments and put them on before the towel fell from around her. Tsubaki helped her step inside of the dress and get her arms through the loops at the corset. "Hey Tsubaki."

"Hmm."

"May I ask you why you chose to join Shibusen?" It had been eating at her sanity. After spending a few days at Death Harbour, Black*Star had somehow convinced her of leaving her home and her family. She couldn't ever see herself doing such a thing because of a man. She knew Black*Star only saw her as an object of pleasure, but what did Black*Star mean to her?

"I guess you can." Gently she started to pull at the bottom of the strings of the corset, tightening the corset around her waist. "I saw something in him. The moment he entered my office, my breath was taken and my blood ran hot. He was so calm and—"

"Calm?" Maka turned her head to look at her over her shoulder. "Are you serious? He can't sit still for even a minute!"

She giggled and she gave her a warm and soft smile. "I know. But he's a different person with me. He was kind and warm and gentlemanly and he always made me laugh."

"Gentlemanly? Are you sure it's the same Black*Star?"

Tsubaki playfully swatted Maka's shoulder. Maka immediately apologized. "He's so different with me. Over the past days he visited me and he hung around my office as long as he could. I really got to know him and I really liked what I saw in him."

Maka's stomach dropped. Oh no. She'd a very very _very_ bad feeling about this. "Tsubaki? Could you maybe possibly be in love with him?"

Tsubaki sighed happily. "I am. I love him very much. I didn't think I could and would fall in love with someone I'd known for a couple of days and then join a pirate ship to be with him. I just feel like he's the missing piece of me." This was very bad.

She turned away from Tsubaki and bit her lip. If she only knew Black*Star only used her for pleasure. If only she knew the feeling wasn't mutual. Tsubaki was a wonderful girl with a very kind heart, she didn't deserve to be used by Black*Star. She didn't deserve to be stringed along by a man who only saw her as an object.

They were at the port. She could tell her the truth. She could tell her everything. It would give Tsubaki the chance to leave the ship and find a ship to sail her back to Death Harbour; to her home.

"Tsubaki I—"

The door slammed open and Liz held a golden comb in her hand. "Guess who'll wear jewellery fit for a royalty? You!"

She shut her eyes and felt her chance slip away from her.

"Breathe in." Tsubaki commanded and Maka inhaled loudly. Tsubaki pulled at the strings of the dress. The corset around her waist tightened and she felt her bosom get pushed up by the corset. Slowly her eyes fluttered open and she chipped for the little air the corset allowed her.

This was going to be the death of her.

Liz and Patty happily worked on her hair. They used curlers to curl her hair and applied the golden drop earrings in each ear. She found herself clutching her grandma's medallion. Her thumb ran over the bumps of the emeralds. Hopefully the medallion wouldn't be put to the test like her grandmother had told her.

Liz removed the curlers from her hair and nice curls poured around her shoulders. She pulled her hair back and used the golden comb to fasten the front pieces behind her head. The two sisters stepped back and admired the end result of their hard work.

"Stunning. Absolutely stunning." Liz smiled wide.

"I promise we'll take care of your hairclip." Patty commented and waved the silver hairclip she would ordinarily wear to keep her hair out of the way when her hair wasn't hidden underneath the hat.

A soft smile spread on her face. "Thank you Patty."

The door opened and Tsubaki returned back inside. "I've got the last accessory from Black*Star." She strolled up toward Maka and handed her a golden wedding ring.

Maka sighed loudly and annoyingly took the ring. "Really? Don't tell me I have to pretend to be his wife." She sulked as she put the ring on the correct finger.

"I don't know the whole story, but Black*Star talked about engagement." Tsubaki spoke.

"You're the lucky one here." Liz grinned at her. "You're the one wearing fancy clothes and going to a ball. You'll have the chance to eat pastries and good food and drink luxurious wine!"

"And not to forget meeting giraffes!"

The three girls found themselves staring at the younger sibling.

"It's about time for you and the Captain to leave." Tsubaki spoke up and broke the awkward silence. "Remember to pinch your cheeks once in a while. I've seen aristocrats do that to keep their cheeks rosy."

"And keep your chin high around lower class, but lower your eyes when you're in the presence of another aristocrat male." Liz said.

"Yeah! Like a giraffe."

If they only knew. If they only knew she already knew everything there was about manners around an aristocrat. She found herself nodding, pretending to take in their advice as she headed for the door out of the small sleeping ward. She twisted the knob and exited. The sun hit her with its warm rays. The men seemed to have been caught in an important conversation with the Captain but were quickly interrupted by her presence. It was an unusual view of seeing her Captain in a formal black and white suit that fit the occasion perfectly. His usually wild and knotted hair was neatly combed. Nothing to fancy so he would stand out in the crowd.

Kilik whistled at her. "Look at that. Little lassie got a body hidden underneath those large shirts of yers."

Kid smiled friendly toward her. "You look lovely today―"

"Sprog." Captain Eater cut him off. "The carriage's here."

Maka's cheeks heated up and she smiled politely toward Kid. "Okay." She folded her arms over her chest and headed toward the lowered bridge.

"All of ye stay on the ship. If anyone's not on the ship when I return, that person could consider yerself executed." Captain Eater announced before he followed her off the ship.

On the harbour waited a nice black and golden carriage with a well-dressed coachman. Politely he bowed and opened the door like she'd seen plenty of coachmen do in her life. She gave him a warm smile before she climbed inside, soon followed by her Captain. The door shut behind him and instantly her Captain started speaking.

"Here's the background information about us. Ye're Maka Turner and I'm Soul Smith. We're each other's love interests an' romance sparkles between us. I've already proposed to ye so that ought to keep the stuck-up asses away from us. If someone comes, just show them the ring an' say ye're taken, savvey?"

She kept her arms crossed and sat as close as she could to the red silk wall of the carriage, as far away from him as possible. "Okay."

"Act as elegant an' polite as ye can. Remember women're inferior in this world." Captain Eater crossed his arms over his chest and leisurely rested is heel on his knee.

Maka found herself snorting and looking outside of the window. Like she would play along and pretend to be _his_ love interest. It was revolting. Pretending to be a monster's wife-to-be who throws threats and punishes his own crew with whips was definitely the most awful task to date. She felt sorry for the poor woman who would marry such a monster. That is _if_ there was an unintelligent woman out there who wouldn't see though his monstrous facade.

This mission was going to be a difficult one. Since she became of age to attend the ball, she came with her parents and friends to the family. Even though she was missing, her mother would never miss an important event as the ball of engagement. Even if she laid on her deathbed, she would squeeze herself into a corset and attend it. There was no doubt in her mind her mother would be there. She couldn't allow herself to be caught now. Her adventures had just begun. Not to forget, she still had to hide her true identity from her Captain. Under no circumstances could he ever find out she was a missing woman worth a large amount of money.

Maka sat quiet through the bumpy ride toward Mort Castle. When her shoulder would brush his, instantly she repelled away from him and pushed herself up against the wall as if her Captain was the plague. She still couldn't understand why it had to be _her_ who played the role of Captain's love interest. Why didn't he choose Liz? She'd a more feminine body and would perfectly blend in with the crowd than her body of skin and bones.

"One more thing." Captain Eater spoke up as the Mort Castle came into view and the carriage slowly started to near the round-about. "Don't call me Captain inside of there. Ye address me as Soul or by one of those pet names girls find themselves calling their crushes."

"Fine."

The carriage drove passed flags with the symbol of engagement. She wanted to barf. Playing to be in love with a monster. How stomach-turning.

The castle rose proudly in the cloudy sky and banners with the symbol of engagement decorated the walls. Vines conquered the stone walls. Such a beautiful castle that captured the attention, it was too bad it would become the battlefield. The carriage reached the round-about where guards stood ready with weapons and dressed in fine military uniforms. The coachman got off his seat and opened the carriage door for them, bowing respectfully. Captain Eater slid out of his seat and stepped aside, offering his hand toward Maka.

Her eyes slid as she held up her dress and stepped out without accepting his hand. "Lucky for you," she whispered, "this night I'm crossed at you."

"Sprog." Captain growled lowly. "Don't disobey me."

Maka flipped her hair as she walked up toward the guards with her head held high. Her Captain quickly followed. "Maka Turner." She spoke with superiority.

"And Soul Smith." He cut in.

The guard to the right started to go through a list as the other one kept a close eye at them.

Maka had prepared to hold a speech about how in the world could the guards hold her out of the engagement party over her missing invitation, but there was no need. The guard nodded and the other straightened his weapon out of the stairway into the castle.

"Enjoy your night and may marriage be in your favour this evening." The guard spoke as Maka walked passed.

Soul quickly followed and roughly grabbed her hand. "Don't pull any stunts tonight." He hissed loudly and hooked their arms together. "This is an important night for the quest. Screw this up and you bet it will become a whole lot more difficult to reach the next clue."

"Right, because pleasing my Captain is the only thing that matters." She rolled her eyes.

"It _is_ the only thing that matters." He growled. "If you don't do what I say, then Shinigami has one more soul to collect tonight."

"Oh, I'm so scared. Both you and I know we're equally good at swordplay. It could go either way, _honey._ " Disgust dripped from her mouth at the petname she added. They reached the inside of the castle and walked through a stone corridor. She could hear the string orchestra that played from within the ball room near as they strode through the well decorated and well-lit corridor.

His arm tensed and he came to an abrupt halt in the stone corridor. "Are you threatening me?"

"Maybe." She faced her Captain with burning eyes and ripped her arm from his. "Maybe if you didn't treat your crew with threats and whips and disrespect, maybe the situation would be different."

He crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes into silvers. "What are you suggesting?"

This was her chance. The ball was in her hands and she could make a change for the better for her and the rest of the crew. "I will act as if I fancy you if you treat your crew with respect."

He snorted and shook his head. "No way. Listen to me _Sprog,_ I'm the Captain. I'm the one who calls the shots."

"What? You're scared that your crew could actually do a better job if you tore down that wall of threats and control of yours?"

He turned silent. His mouth turned to a thin line. He stared her dead in the eyes. "You know nothing about me."

"And you know nothing about me or your crew." She turned on her heel and followed the music.

"Sprog!" Captain Eater loudly whispered and rushed after her.

"Still crossed love interest." She yelled from over her shoulder as she entered the ball room. As she'd done multiple times at fancy dinner parties and balls, she placed her hands elegantly above her stomach and her elbows pulled back. With her chin high, she slowly went deeper into the well-lit ballroom.

The ballroom was almost the same as the previous year. Still same crystal prideful chandelier above the dance floor and the large symbol of engagement the dancing couples danced on. Same large orchestra and the same large table filled with all sort of foods and fancy wines.

To her relief, she didn't catch sight of her mother or her father, or any friends who could recognize her. But she was too smart to get careless. She knew they were around. As casually as possible she pulled her hair to cover as much of her face as possible.

An arm hooked with hers roughly and she knew exactly who it was. "Sprog." He growls lowly in her ear like a wolf. "Act the part."

"Or what?" She whipped her head toward him. "Offer my soul to Shinigami? Good luck with finding the clue. You need me to orientate around the castle."

He paused because both of them knew it was true. Without her cooperation, he wouldn't be able to find the clue. He knew she was his only hope.

"Fine. How about I'll give you salary as large as Kilik's?"

"I'm not a woman you could persuade with money." She tightened her free hand. "The only way I'll cooperate is if you get rid of the whip." It was the best way she could protect the crew. She'd felt the pain delivered from the whip and it wasn't something any of the crewmembers deserved.

His eyes narrowed at her, but he didn't shot her down. He stared into her eyes before he exhaled loudly. "Fine, _honey_."

"Great. _Sweetheart._ "

Captain Eater pulled his arm from hers and he bowed deep as he offered her his hand. "May I have this dance?"

She cocked her eyebrow, but she accepted his hand. He led her to the dance floor where couples wearing fine silk dresses and handsome suits swayed to the music. Captain Eater led her to the epicentre of the dance floor where he bowed respectfully at her. She curtseyed and he placed his hand on her waist respectfully and grabbed her hand. Her own placed on his shoulder.

She had to admit, for a pirate Captain, he knew how to fake being a part of the aristocrat world. Perfect manner and perfect posture.

He stepped forward and she automatically stepped backwards. He led her toward the side and intensely she stared into his red eyes. "Waltz. Good choice of dance, _sweetheart_." She spit out the petname. "Don't you think we should be looking for it rather than dancing?"

"I'm gathering info. The best disguise is to blend in with the environment." He paused. "You're not a bad dancer, _honey._ " His hand tightened on hers as they stepped toward the side, her dress swept over her legs. "Much better than a mere farmer's girl."

Her eyes narrowed. There it was again. The suspicious glance in his eyes. "And you're far better than a thief of the sea."

They turned in circles, his eyes would occasionally leave hers to look at the symbol they were dancing on. Every time his eyes would look down, she detected a spark she'd never seen before in his dull eyes. A spark of hope and longing and a hunger for the next clue to Oni's Treasure. His hand grew warmer and clammy as they danced.

"Is there a room below this one?" His voice missed his usual strict tone. He spoke with smoothness in his husky voice.

She swayed to the music of the string orchestra. "There is." Her eyes widened when he suddenly pulled her toward him, twirled her around making her almost trip on her shoes before he dipped her low. His vibrant eyes gazed into hers with such energy and intensity she'd never seen before. "There's a stairway to the level below in the corridor we passed."

"Excellent." He whispered, but he didn't pull her up immediately. As the string orchestra ended their song, slowly he reeled her up and kept her small body close to his larger and broader one. "Lead the way."

Her stomach dropped to the floor. By the wall just beside the string orchestra, see saw the people she dreaded to see. Her mother and father stood with glasses of champagne in their hands. In front of them stood two people, a man and a woman, dressed in travelling clothes. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets when she realized it was her dear friend to the family, Stein and his wife Marie.

Stein and Marie had travelled and seen the world and brought the most amazing stories to her and her grandma. Stein would also bring back plants and animals from different islands to show her and educate her with. And to her horror, dissect the cute baby animals he found.

Judging by her mother's sour expression and her father angrily waving his arms around, she came to the conclusion Stein and Marie were the ones after her. It shouldn't have surprised her. Travelling experience, they were close to her and most important, they were experts in tracking.

Her mouth was ajar and quickly she hooked her arm with her Captain, dragging him toward the exit of the ballroom. With her head low, she pulled at her locks to cover her face.

"Sprog?"

She peeked at her Captain from between two locks. Leading the way out of the ballroom, her Captain seemed to have been reduced to a nervous pulp. His hand would run through his hair and she could feel the enormous warmth radiating through his clothes. The dance had warmed up her body, but not as much as it had for her Captain.

"I-I'm fine." She quickly glanced backwards, her parents, Stein and Marie seemed to engage in a heated argument and didn't seem to have noticed her.

She found the stairway, her Captain checked for no servants or any guests catching them before they descended the stairs.

"Below the symbol is a corridor leading to different pantries and wine cellars. We've got to be careful not to get caught by any chefs or servants." Maka whispered and held up her dress so she wouldn't trip. "Do you have any idea where it should be?"

"Not really." He leaned toward her and she felt his hot breath warm her ear. "Oni has a tendency of hiding his clues below things. So it should be somewhere around here."

They reached the end of the stairway and a long dark stone corridor with only a few torches lit the corridor. "Really? That's all we can go of?"

"'bout right."

She sighed and grabbed a torch on the wall. The flames illuminated their shadows on the walls.

"Let's just search for any clues. Anything that stands out or has any connections to Oni." Captain Eater spoke as his hand placed above hers on the torch. His chest radiated warmth on her back. Carefully he pulled the torch from her hand and went passed her.

If he wanted a torch, he could've simply gotten his own. The corridor was full of them. No need in stealing hers. Maka found herself rolling her eyes and followed her Captain down the wall. Her eyes searched the stony surface in search for hopefully finding something to lead to the position of the next clue.

"Captain?"

"I told you," she turned toward her Captain and saw him run his hands over the stones. "In here, I'm Soul."

She found herself rolling her eyes again as her gaze wandered the walls illuminated by the torch in his hand. "Who was Oni?"

"Oni was the first legendary pirate."

"I know that. Black*Star told me." She turned her attention to him. "But who was he? Didn't he have any hobbies other than slaying people and claiming their goods? Maybe if I knew, I could be of more help searching for the next clue."

"Nobody knew that much about him." His eyes didn't abandon the stone wall he examined. "Except for his love Excalibur."

"Excalibur?"

Captain Eater nodded and moved to the opposite wall. Maka followed him suit. "Yeah. Excalibur was a mermaid Oni fell in love with. Legend says she was the fairest of them. They would constantly talk. Her being in the water and him aboard his ship."

"A mermaid? But mermaids don't exist."

Captain Eater snorted loudly. "Yeah, and so does witches."

"Tell me what happened to them?"

"Like how things always end. Excalibur's father didn't approve of his daughter' romance with a mortal being. He sent a storm and Oni sailed as well as he could, but the storm was far too great. His ship took in water and sunk. The location of his treasure disappeared with him." Captain Eater knocked at some stones in the wall. She guessed to check if those were real.

It was a romantic story. A lone wolf falling in love with a being he couldn't be with. Oni and Excalibur were star-crossed lovers. Oni was mortal, he couldn't live in the sea with his love, and Excalibur couldn't live with him. Even if there was a way for them to live together, it would only be for a short while. Oni was mortal and Excalibur, an immortal being, age or sickness or an accident would tear them apart and Excalibur would be forced to live the rest of eternity bearing the burden of a broken heart.

"What do you think the treasure is?" She asked.

A large smirk grew on his face. His hand came to a stop and his attention turned to her as he kneeled on the ground. "Something precious. Something extraordinary. Oni had the best cover at being close with a mermaid who must've been _very_ willing at sharing. My guess is…" He rose from his knees and the flames of his torch made his eyes burn vividly with determination. "Immortality."

Maka's eyes widened and her mouth hung ajar. "Immortality―"

Footsteps echoed in the stairway. It bounced around the walls and before she could react, her Captain grabbed her hand and pulled her. Quickly they escaped inside of a door and Captain Eater slammed the door shut as the source of the footsteps reached the bottom.

She gulped loudly and held her breath as she listened to the silent slow footsteps of the person. Her pulse throbbed loudly in her ears and her hand squeezed her Captain―

Her eyes averted from the wooden door inside of the room and down at their entwined hands. She hadn't even registered his hand was _still_ holding hers.

"Hello?" A soft female voice bounced off the walls. Her spine went stiff and her eyes widened. She recognized the voice all too well and she wished she had only imagined it.

Captain Eater acted faster than her. Silently he pulled her close to him and backed her into a wall. The torch hit the ground. Instantly her heart jumped to her throat when he loomed over her and his red eyes stared into hers. His arms caged her and his fingers ran through the locks of her hair. Her throat ran dry when her Captain's face moved closer to hers.

Fear rooted in her gut. The closeness of her Captain and his incoming face was too much for her. She couldn't be defiled in such a way. She didn't want her Captain to kiss her. She didn't wish any of this.

Captain Eater gave her a small smirk when the door to the room creaked open. Just then Captain Eater whipped his head around and his tall form fortunately covered her. "Hey!" He yelled. "Do you mind?"

"I-I'm sorry!" Embarrassment was clear in her voice. "I'm looking for the restroom. They told me it was a floor down—"

"Marie!"

Maka slammed her forehead into Captain Eater's chest. There was no way she was this unlucky. Stein's voice echoed down the stairway and Marie answered. "I'm here, sugar!"

Rapid footsteps ran down the stairway and he called for his wife. "Marie, I said it was down the hallway _passed_ the stairway."

"Ohhhh." She could hear realization in her voice. Of course even with a map, she would get lost.

"Can you leave us alone now?" Captain Eater snarled, his hand entangled in her hair and he held her close to his (muscular) chest.

"Oh," She heard Stein direct his attention toward them. "Of course. Take it easy on the wine. If the servants caught you, they wouldn't be pleased." Of course, even when he knew she wasn't there only a few feet in front of them, he would give her advice. He'd acted more as a father-figure than her own father.

The door silently closed and it wasn't until their voices and footsteps disappeared, she dared to exhale the breath she didn't even know she held. "That was close…"

"Yeah." He removed his hand from her hair and backed away from her. "Sorry about that… didn't mean to frighten you with that."

Her eyes fluttered with shock at her Captain. For the first time… he apologized. He hadn't really done anything of damage, quite the opposite, he shielded her from Stein and Marie, she owned him. Not that he would ever know.

"I would never force myself on a woman like this."

"I-it's okay." She ran her hands through her now messy hair, trying to make it more presentable. "Let's just continue searching."

A large grin grew on his face, exposing his sharp teeth. "No need for it." He raised his finger and pointed right at her. "We've already found it." She turned around and among the shelves of wine she'd never noticed, on the wall decorated the symbol of engagement and in the middle of it was a ship.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Her mouth fell open as her Captain neared the mark on the wall where he'd trapped her. His hand slowly caressed every bump and rise of the carved stone wall, every finger ran over the texture of the boat and the symbol. He feasted on the view in front of him. His hand stilled and knocked on the stone. It gave a strong respond.

"It's hollow." He backed away from it with a ridiculously large grin. She hadn't ever seen anyone grin as wide as he had, not even children on Christmas. "It's there. It's right there."

"But how are we supposed to get to it?" She had barely had the time to finish her sentence before he kneeled and fished an object from his sock. It was a tiny hammer perfect for being concealed.

She watched him near the symbol and without a doubt, he swung the hammer and a crack spread in the wall.

"Tell me something." Captain Eater stole her attention. "That necklace." Automatically her hand grasped her beloved necklace as if his pirate hands would rip it from her neck. "It's a very beautiful piece. Quite clumsy, but very beautiful." She didn't even know if she should thank him. "I've seen you wearing it every day. Is it special?"

"Yes." Her hand tightened on the golden circle. "It was actually given to me by my grandma." His hammer collided with the wall, rocks from the wall rattled on the floor.

"Your grandma seems to be someone precious to you."

She gazed at Captain Eater. She hadn't told him much about her grandma, simply the fact she was a farmer's girl and she lived with her grandma. Slowly she nodded. "Yes."

His hammer slammed harder into the wall and pieces rained down on the ground. "That's great." He hit the wall roughly with his hammer. "That's really great." He slammed it to the wall again and again, more cracks appeared until his hammer broke through the wall. Immediately he dived his hand inside of the dark hole exposed for him as if it was the large buffet upstairs.

She stared at him with curiosity. His entire arm searched in the unknown hole. His eyes lit up and he retrieved his hand from the hole. In his hand he held a piece of cloth.

"What is that?" She neared him, peering at the old dirtied cloth.

He unfolded the cloth and she snuck up beside him. There was nothing inside of it, there were simply unknown objects and smooth curves like waves and straight lines.

"It's the next clue." He paused. "It's telling us our next location."

She cocked her eyebrow and pointed toward the cloth in his hands. "And you can decipher what that means?"

"No. I've encountered this language before. It's the language of the mermaids. I've never been able to understand it." He turned his attention to her and grinned wide. "But I do know someone who does."

Her eyes fluttered as he put his hammer back into his sock. "You do?"

"Yeah." He straightened and swept the rocks from the broken wall behind a box of wine. "She lives on an island about two weeks sail from here. She's very willing to help, but it comes to a price."

Her eyebrow cocked as he turned toward her, stuffing the clue inside of his jacket before he picked up the torch from the ground. "Now let's get the hell out of here before more people stumble onto us."

She nodded. "Right."

The door creaked open and Captain Eater peeked out, making sure no one was around. As suspected, no one was around and quickly they slipped out of the room. They hurried down the corridor and Soul placed the torch where they'd taken it and ran up the stairs. The music produced from the string orchestra grew louder and so did the talking and dancing aristocrats.

Quickly they rounded the corner and she ran right into a wall of flesh. Her eyes bulged out from their sockets when she found herself standing in front of Stein. His mouth hung ajar and Marie gasped loudly. "M-Maka?"

She gulped and her mouth opened and closed like a fish. Coherent words tried to reach her mouth, trying to explain to them she was _not_ Maka Albarn that they were looking for.

Luckily for her, her Captain was quick when it came to unexpected backfires. "Honey, we got to go." He gave a close mouthed smile toward the shocked pair. "Sorry, but we got to leave the party earlier. My fiancée isn't feeling well." His hand entwined with hers and quickly he pulled her passed them. She casted a glance over her shoulder at them and caught their shocked gazed. They ran out of the castle and dark clouds plagued the sky, rain splashing on the cobblestones. Captain Eater released her hand as they ran down the stairs and a moment later, he threw his suit jacket at her. "Cover yourself from the rain."

She draped it over her head. She wasn't going to reject him. She could take the rain, but when Marie and Stein snapped out of their trans, they would come after her in full-speed. Every second they were fixed with shock, they could use to escape unnoticed by the pair. If they found out what ship she was on, then her pirate life would be very short-lived.

They rushed through the garden and passed the two guards who looked surprised at them escaping the ball in full-speed.

"Coachman!" Captain Eater hollered as he ran faster than her toward the black and golden carriage of theirs. Their coachman opened the door to the carriage and quickly got out in the rain, returning to his seat.

"Maka!" She whipped her head around and her curls bounced on her shoulders.. "We've been looking for you!" Marie yelled loudly.

Captain Eater quickly pushed her inside of the carriage and closed it behind him. As soon as the door was closed, the coachman whipped the horses and they gave a loud cry and started running. Maka dared a glance out from the window and saw Marie and Stein get inside of a different carriage.

They were seriously going to chase her?!

"Are they for real?" Her Captain muttered. "They're going to chase us?"

Two great minds think alike. Only her mind wasn't abusive and toxic.

Captain Eater opened the door of the carriage and yelled to the coachman to go as fast as he possibly could and to try to shake off any incoming carriage behind them. He closed the door and she bounced in her seat as the carriage ran over the uneven ground.

Maka slumped back on the silk seat. What was she supposed to do? She knew she should've protested louder on doing this mission with her Captain. This was a far graver battlefield than her Captain could ever comprehend. This was about her freedom. Her freedom to fulfil her dream of a life of piracy, a life she could be proud of and to share her stories with her grandma. She wasn't ready to give her life up just yet.

She sighed loudly and uncovered her head from his jacket, giving it back. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." He accepted it and held it to his transparent shirt, slicking to his perfectly sculptured muscles. While she'd stayed dried thanks to his jacket, he'd become drenched in the rain. She kind of felt bad for him. Kind of. Not completely.

They rode in silence. Maka leaned against the window, just waiting for her Captain to question who they were and how they knew her. Simply asking the questions she didn't have good answers for, but he didn't. Instead he'd his arms crossed over his chest, staring down at the floor or maybe his shoes, she didn't know.

The carriage rode in full speed through the rain. The coachman made sure to take a detour with plenty of nature and forest that covered them. Maka checked every once in a while in search for another carriage, but they were alone. They'd managed to shake them off.

"I meant it." Captain Eater said after minutes of silence. Her gaze snapped from the window in the back and toward his wet hair slick to his forehead. "Don't mention this to anyone."

"Why? You scared they would think you actually had a heart?"

He was silent, only ran his hand through his moisty hair and pulled it away from his eyes. He blatantly ignored her.

She couldn't understand him. One moment he was ruthlessly whipping his crew for a mere slip up, then he was offering his jacket as a cover from the rain while he got soaking wet. She couldn't wrap her mind around what made him into a cold-hearted beast and then the next an actual human-being with empathy.

Captain Eater opened the door once again as soon as they reached the small town at the port. It was still pouring when they arrived, this time he didn't hand her his jacket. Not that she needed it. She wasn't afraid of getting a little wet.

With confidence Maka stepped out in the rain right after her Captain and instantly started to head toward Shibusen. Her Captain went right by her side with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. Rain soaked him once again and droplets dripped from the tips of his hair. It didn't take long before her curls straightened and slick to her cheek and neck.

What felt like forever walking down the port in pouring rain, she finally spotted Shibusen. She hadn't realised just how _cold_ it was when they ran toward the carriage. She hadn't gotten wet, but now, completely soaked to the bones, she was shivering and clutching her arms trying to regain some warmth. She was freezing. The moon was up and gazing down at her. She couldn't wait until she got out of the cursed dress, got into her comfortable _dry_ clothes and seated in front of a fire.

She increased her pace. Her feet moved faster and her Captain strolled in the rain as if the cold didn't bother him. She ended up running. Holding up her dress her heels stepped into puddles but it wasn't as if it made her more soaked.

"Sprog." Captain Eater spoke.

She ignored him and kept on running. The mission was over. He got what he wanted. Now all she wanted was to return to the ship and get out of the cursed corset.

A smile stretched on her mouth when she noticed the bridge to the ship was already down. Black*Star must've left it down for them to quickly board the ship to flee from the rain. The corners of her lips twitched. Sometimes the idiot did have a brain.

"Sprog! Don't!"

Her heels clicked as she ran up the bridge and onto the ship when suddenly a tall figure landed in front of her. Before she had time to react, a knife was pressed to her throat.

"Sprog!" Her Captain screamed loudly and could he― was it a shred of concern she detected in his voice?

The tall man with pale hair grinned wide, showing rows of equally sharp teeth like her Captain. His brown gloved hand grabbed her and spun her around and locked her back to his chest, pressing his knife at her throat.

Captain Eater quickly drew a hidden gun from his pocket and pointed it toward the man keeping her hostage. "Let her go!" He snarled, baring his teeth.

"Isn't it lil' ol' Eater. Finally got some lasses to the team?" His teeth pressed against her ear as he grinned wide. "Never thought I would see the day when ye finally got some bitches to screw." His tongue darted out and licked slowly the shell of her ear. Her spine went stiff.

"Shut up!" He pulled the hammer and it clicked. "Release her!"

"I wouldn't do 'hat if I were ye."

A similar click sounded and her gaze moved toward the shadows. A silhouette stood within the darkness and pointed a gun toward Captain Eater. The silhouette moved out from the shadows casted by the main sail and stepped into the moonlight, revealing dark hair with white high light. Equally red eyes as her Captain stared at him with his gun pointed toward him.

"Asura." Captain Eater spat out his name. " Bilge rats. Get down from me mast."

Loud feminine laughter aroused in the air. "So ye found us?" A very feminine voice spoke. Quickly followed three thumps and right behind the man named Asura stood three proud and terrifying women.

Her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets and she was sure she'd passed out. Sure she was riding on the clouds of dreams because there was no way in front of her stood her idols, the three women she'd always dreamt of joining and the women she strived to be like. The three sisters she'd seen in pictures and heard so much in form of stories her grandma told her about. _They were only a few yards away from her!_

"I was surprised at yer new recruits. I never thought ye would actually hire women, Soul Eater." A very elegant and fierce woman dressed in black and brown said, curling a black hair strand around her black glove. She recognized her as Arachne. The spider queen, she would devour every man on the battlefield like a black widow. Simply roll them in and once they were caught in her web, consume them when their backs were turned.

"Don't call me that. Where's the rest of me crew?!" Captain Eater barked at Arachne.

"Ye've better things to think about than yer crew." Asura interjected and a large smirk grew on his face. "Ye should prepare yerself to die." He turned his face toward the man keeping Maka hostage. "Giriko."

"With pleasure." She felt his grip on her waist tighten and his knife broke her skin. She gasped loudly and hot blood ran down her cold neck, mixing with the rain.

"Ye wouldn't dare!" Captain Eater tightened his hold on his gun and narrowed his eyes. "I'll rip ye apart!"

Maka had never seen her Captain this passionate about his crew. Ever. Not even when Akane, Harvar and Clay bit the dust and fell in combat, she'd never seen him so determined and unfearful and like a true Captain.

"I wouldn't if I were ye." Asura smirked with satisfaction toward her Captain. "Ye're outnumbered. If ye shoot Giriko, I'll shoot ye before ye've released the trigger."

Captain Eater narrowed his eyes. His jaw visibly tightening.

The Gorgon Trio worked efficiently on retrieving the bridge from the port and raising the sails, determined to leave the port so no one would interfere with their plans. A glance at the sea she could see the figure of another large ship. It had to be Arachnophobia.

Maka couldn't simply let herself be used against her Captain. She couldn't play damsel in distress. It was five against one, they could've a better chance if it was two against five. They were both skilled with swords. The problem was they hadn't any other weapons than the hammer in Captain Eater's sock and his gun, did she forget to mention _they stood in front of the legendary swordwoman trio of all time?!_

But she had to give it a shot. She wouldn't surrender without a fight!

She tightened her hands and stomped hard on Giriko's foot. He hollered in pain and flopped over her back. Quickly she slapped away the knife and whirled around and thrusted her palm at his nose, a horrible crack and she knew she'd broken his nose. He doubled over in pain and released the knife.

"Bitch! Fucking slut!" He screamed, clutching his bloody nose.

She didn't pay him any attention, she leapt for the knife and pressed it against his throat.

Quickly her Captain pointed his gun toward Asura and at the same time, the trio drew their guns. Arachne and the woman with the long braid, Shaula, pointed their guns at her Captain while the third one, Medusa, pointed hers toward her.

"What a fierce little girl ye have." Medusa spoke up and her yellow snake eyes narrowed. "Too bad she'll end up at the bottom of the sea."

"It will be ye, ye biscuit eaters!"

"Don't ye see?" Asura tilted his head. "Ye're outnumbered. Ye know why we're here."

Captain Eater stayed silent, pointing his gun intensely at the man.

"Drop the weapons, or I'll shoot ye both."

"If you shoot!" Maka yelled, pressing the knife hard against his throat. "I'll kill him!"

Medusa broke out laughing heartily. "Ye don't have the guts. A young foolish girl like ye play pirate? Ye couldn't take a life even if yer life depended on it."

Her jaw tightened. It was true. She wasn't able to kill Free even after he'd killed Harvar, Akane and Clay. She knew, even if Giriko was a creepy pervert who liked licking strange girl's ears, she wouldn't be able to kill him. She didn't have it in her to ruthlessly take a life even if it meant she would save other people from dying on his swords, she still couldn't do it.

"Sprog." Captain Eater's voice missed the hostility he'd directed toward Asura. "Ye fought well." He redirected his barrel toward the sky visibly surrounding.

"Cap―"

"But sometimes ye got to know when to quit." He dropped his weapon and it banged on the floor, echoing in her mind of her Captain's defeat. He held his hands in the air and stared deeply into her eyes, waiting for her to do the same.

She sighed loudly and her heart fell to her stomach when she removed the knife from Giriko's throat, it slid from her hand and rattled when it hit the ground.

Asura gazed toward the Trio of sisters and nodded toward her Captain. Immediately they put their guns in their holsters and went calmly toward him.

"Ye fucking bitch!" Giriko stood up and his nose was visibly crooked and his jaw covered in his blood. "Ye'll pay for this." He punched her hard in the eye to the sound of her Captain's screams. Roughly she hit the ground, painfully she gritted her teeth and clutched her throbbing. Captain Eater stepped forward and Asura pressed the muzzle to his temple.

"One more step an' I'll blow yer head off." He spoke with such calm her hair on her arms rose. "Take off all of ye weapons."

"I don't have—"

"I've known ye for years an' both ye and I know it's a lie."

Medusa strolled over to her with a large smirk on her face, grabbing her arms and locking them behind her back. It was useless to fight.

Captain Eater rolled his eyes and complied. He began to discard the hammer he'd hid in his sock, dropping it in front of him. Asura cocked his eyebrow and Captain Eater sighed in response. He began to pull screwdrivers out of his waistband, a pocketknife from his pocket, matches from his other pocket and plenty more. He dumped the oddest things and the pile on the ground grew. She knew her Captain would be prepared, but he'd a ridiculous amount hidden on him and she'd no clue how she couldn't have felt his screwdrivers poke at her when they danced.

Lastly he pulled a spoon hidden under his tie, _a spoon. Hidden under a tie!_ It tumbled down the large pile on the floor in front of him.

"That's the last one."

"An' where's the clue?"

"I have no clue what ye're talking 'bout—"

Asura slapped him with his gun and Captain Eater head whipped painfully toward the side.

"Captain!" Maka exclaimed and wiggled in Medusa's grip. Medusa's fingers grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked it roughly.

"Shut up an' let the Captains finish." She growled in her ear. "Ye will have plenty of time together before ye die." She chuckled sinisterly in her ear.

And this was one of the women she adored so much.

"Fine." Captain Eater dug into his suit and retrieved the cloth. "This's the clue." He held the clue toward him. "Don't ask me what it means because I don't know."

Maka's heart dropped at the view of Asura snatching the clue from his hands. They'd worked so hard at gaining the clue. They'd sailed day and night and Maka risked getting caught and brought back to her aristocrat lifestyle, and he was simply letting all of that hard work go?

"You can't give it to him!" Medusa yanked in her hair roughly. Her tooth bit down on her pale lip when pain exploded at her hair roots. "After all we've done, you're just going to give up?!"

"Shut up Sprog!" Captain Eater screamed at her. "Ye don't know anything!"

She grew silent. Her Captain didn't even dare to look her in her eyes. Maybe she'd been too hard on him. This must be even more painful to him than it was to her. He'd chased Oni's Treasure for years. Losing the clue to Shibusen's enemy must be tearing his heart into pieces.

"Gorgon, ye tie the two up in the cabin, Giriko, get the explosives." Asura commanded and Arachne and Shaula immediately neared her Captain. They roughly ripped his arms behind his back.

"Aye aye Captain!" Giriko had a large shit-eating grin on his face. "Finally time to blow the two shits into pieces."

Medusa hoisted Maka up on her feet and the Gorgon Trio led her and Captain Eater toward his cabin. The inside looked as if a hurricane had swept through. Furniture were tumbled over, books recklessly cast-off on the ground. From a chair's leg hung rope, waiting for them. Shaula grabbed the rope and first bind their hands together behind their backs before she bound her and her Captain back to back.

The two girls quickly left, leaving Medusa behind with them. She sighed with content as she crossed her arms over her chest. "There is no use escaping." She spoke with pride. "Everything sharp is gone. If ye don't die from the explosion, ye'll go down with the ship an' drown." A sigh escaped her lips. "I never thought I would see the day when finally the infamous pirate Captain Soul Eater would be defeated and Shinigami would collect his soul."

Captain Eater stayed quiet.

Maka wanted to say something, _do_ something. She couldn't die now!

Medusa turned and waved over her shoulder. "Ta ta, sleep well with the fishes." The door slammed shut behind her.

If there was just something she could do, _anything!_ They were surrounded by water with explosives on the ship ready to blow everybody up. If only she had something— oh.

"Sprog." Captain Eater spoke. "Can you see anything sharp on your side?"

Her eyes scanned every surface of the room. Everything was a mess. Through the mess she was no item of use. She shook her head violently. "No, I can't see anything of use." She wiggled in the ropes. If she could only—

"Shit" He sighed and wiggled in the ropes. "I can break my thumbs. That would give me more wiggle-room to free my hands." His words were rapidly spoken and his voice contained so much desperation. As if they were hanging on a thin thread ready to break at any given moment. "Listen Maka, there is something I have to tell you. I'm not who you think I—"

"I have a knife on me."

His words were cut off. Silent hung in the air.

"… You do? Where?"

Her face flushed a bright red. Her body ran hot with embarrassment. She was definitely not cold any more. "I-I need your h-help getting to it." She swallowed loudly. "We need to stand up."

"Right."

She parted her legs and gained a solid and stable footing. "We stand up on three. One, two, three." Slowly they rose on their feet not to accidentally make the other fall.

"What now?"

She couldn't believe what she was going to say. "Umm," Her flush was burning her face. "M-my skirt."

"Your skirt?" He asked questioningly. "What about it? Maka we don't have enough time for this."

"T-this is relevant." Her hands balled behind her back. "Y-you need to p-pull up my skirt."

"If this is some sort of—"

"It's not! J-just pull it up!"

"Alright fine." His hands fisted the material. Fingers clawed at her silk skirt and slowly reeled it up. The hem of the skirt caressed her exposed calves, knees and then, thighs. "What now?" He questioned when the skirt brushed against her rear.

"U-um… just let me—" She struggled. The fabric in his hands created a silk cage, making it impossible for her to reach her goal. "C-Captain." She stuttered and she squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't believe how she'd been stuck in this situation. "H-hand me the skirt."

His hair brushed her neck and she felt how he nodded. Carefully he passed the balled material of her skirt to her. "What now?"

Her eyes wandered around the Captain's Cabin as if there was a shred of hope of finding something else to cut the ropes with. As if there would be some other way to free themselves without using her secret weapon.

"Y-you… Um…" She gulped loudly. "Y-you need to… y-y must…" Her nails dug into the fine silk. "N-need to… move m-my p-panties."

"Wait. What?!"

She gulped. "Y-you heard me!"

"Are you…? There…?"

Her neck was flaming hot and her throat was drier than a desert. "Just do it!"

"Fine." Tentatively, his long fingers reached out to her and they wandered up her thigh. Maka bit her lower lip when his fingertips found her panties. Carefully Captain Eater peeled aside her panties and held them out of the way, trying not to touch her as much as he could.

It was her signal. She squeezed. Tensing all her muscles and she felt it move. She squeezed her lower belly and with a gasp, a loud clang echoed loudly in the Captain's Cabin.

"What… in Shinigami's name—"

"Shut up!" Maka exclaimed and she lowered her head at the brown leather holder. "You're _not_ to ever mention this to anyone!" She slapped his hand from her undergarment and released the skirt of her dress. Roughly she pulled at the ropes and bend down, forcing her Captain with her.

"Look, you're one hard-core woman for… you know." He spoke as she grasped the leather bag and flipped the lock of it open. "I'm not going to tell as long as you don't tell about what happened at the ball."

Nothing of importance even happened. He proved to be not so much of a heartless monster by giving her his suit jacket to cover herself from the rain. It was a pretty small thing to keep as a secret unlike her hidden weapon.

"Deal." Her nails clawed at the warm metal inside of the leather bag. With a little shift of the angles, she managed to slip it out. With a quick wave of the handle, the metal shriek when the blade slipped from the handle. With care she angled the blade in her hand so the blade rested against the ropes tied around her wrists. She started to cut through the ropes, moving the blade up and down.

"Are you cutting it?" Captain Eater spoke with anticipation in his voice.

"Yes." She narrowed her eyebrows in concentration. The sound of strings of the ropes breaking forced her to cut faster.

"Hurry up. The explosives could go off at any given moment."

"I'm doing the best I can." Few cuts later, she ripped at the rope and they tore. Quickly she wiggled her arms from the ropes tying them together. It was easier to cut through the ropes with her hands free. In mere seconds of intensive sawing, the first rope broke and instantly Captain Eater ripped the ropes from them.

As soon as her eyes locked with his, reality of his knowledge of her hidden weapon made her blush once again. He would forever know about the secret place of her most secret weapon. As on instinct, she flipped the blade into the handle and hid it at the side of her corset.

"Let's get those explosives off the ship." He spoke quickly and both sprinted to the door. Captain Eater busted through the door and instantly the view of barrels at every corner of the two upper decks made her heart freeze. Her eyes quickly wandered toward the string with the small fire slowly approaching the large barrels of explosive.

"Quickly!" He yelled and headed toward the closest barrel right next to her hatchet. "Dump the explosives in the sea!"

"Right!" Quickly she ran toward the other one. Her hands immediately gripped at the barrel and she lifted it, only it was lifted about three inches. Her hands caved in and the barrel slammed on the wooden floor again. A splash caught her attention and she saw the barrel her Captain had run toward was gone, heading toward the next one.

Unlike her Captain, she hadn't the muscles to lift them alone over the railing and dump them into the ocean.

Think. Think! Think! She could come up with something!

She stared at the red flame on the black string nearing the wooden surface of the barrel in rapid speed. If only she could—

She could.

Quickly she fished up her hidden knife and flipped the blade from its handle. With one swift move, she cut of the string and threw the fire end into the ocean, successfully defusing the explosive.

Her Captain dumped another barrel into the ocean as she moved toward the next. As he lifted the barrels, heaving a loud groan before he threw them over the railing into the sea, she cut every threatening fire end of the strings. With one quick glance from her Captain, she knew he would take the upstairs at the steering wheel while she took the front. They split and ran up the stairs of their floors.

They worked perfectly together. Only with one glance they understood the other's intentions and plans, quickly understanding what needed to be done.

Maka leapt to the last barrel as the fire spark was so close, so close toward the end of it. The string became far too short for her to cut it off. Without a shred of thought, she grasped the fire and squeezed hard, flame stung her for only a second. Carefully, she opened her hand smoke rose from the extinguished string.

"Did you take care of every barrel?" Captain Eater screamed from the upper deck on the rear part of the ship.

She smiled wide and gave him her thumb up. "Yes! Every single one of them!"

In return he grinned wide, showing off every single razor sharp tooth of his. Both of them went down the stairs and they met at the main mast. "Can you do me one last favour?"

She cocked her eyebrow questioningly. "It depends on what you're asking for."

"Free the rest of the crew. Get Kid to check the rest of the explosives if he could use them, then you're free to grab some dinner and go to bed." He paused. "Can you do it?"

"Yes, but are you sure they're here?" She gestured toward the ship. "I haven't heard them or even seen them. Couldn't Arachnophobia have left them on the harbour?"

"No. A Captain and the crew go down with the ship." Slowly he started to backpedal away from her. "Number one rule of piracy." He flipped around and headed toward his nest. "You don't need to give me any dinner. I'm going to rest."

He headed inside of his nest and silently closed the door behind him.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Her Captain was correct. In the canon hallway they were tied together around the main mast and gaged with cloths. Their faces were relieved when they discovered her and so was she. Until she realized Ox was missing. Patty had burst out in tears when she told Ox had left the ship to buy her a colouring book since he was going to buy food for Royal Thunder, but then Arachnophobia had ambushed them and taken over the ship.

The only thing they could do, was hope Ox had found shelter at the port and then search for him the next day.

As soon as her left over adrenaline ran out she realised how late it was. She was still dressed in her soaked dress and hadn't eaten anything for hours. After Tsubaki addressed to her wounds, Liz returned her silver pin, changed into her _dry_ and ordinary clothes. She took a can of beans and retreated back to the storage area. When the others were asleep and she'd finished her meal, she pulled up her journal, quill and ink.

 _Dearest me_

 _I've had the strangest and most curious adventure this evening. Firstly, I saw my beloved Stein and Marie, but I of course couldn't stay and chat or else they would've brought me back home. Secondly, I met my idols. I finally after so many months of searching, I was in their presence. It wasn't how I had imagined it, you know, having their guns pointing at me and Medusa ripping at my hair._

She couldn't quite sink everything in. It was such an eventful night she couldn't quite possibly process everything that had happened. It was nice seeing familiar faces of her past, and it made her realise she wasn't ready to go home just yet. She'd only started living this life and she wanted to bring back home plenty of stories of her own to tell her grandma.

Yet, seeing their faces made her wonder. What was going on at home? She knew her parents were fussing over her disappearance, but they seemed to be functioning enough to attend the ball.

But she hadn't seen her grandma at the ball. How was she doing? Was she still taking care of herself and her cute house? Maka missed her grandma, and she knew her grandma missed her too, but she knew her grandma knew she was living her dream. She wouldn't be as worried as her parents. Maka reached for her silver pin at the back of her head and her fingers ran over the carved surface.

After all, she was the one who prepared her.

 _Thirdly, my Captain finally acquired what he'd been searching for year, but unfortunately as soon as we gained it, Arachnophobia ambushed us and stole it from him. Shibusen seems like a great crew with a lot of spirit, but this isn't where my heart belongs. It belongs on Arachnophobia. With the Gorgon Trio. Maybe I could somehow help Arachnophobia with information and then convince Captain Asura to let me join. I know Black*Star and the others will be disappointed with me, but I got to keep on moving._

 _Sincerely myself_

She carefully blew on the ink and closed the journal, putting it, the quill and ink back into her back. She lay on the floor and puffed her bag, trying to make it as comfortable as it could to rest her head on.

Then there was her Captain. The raw nervousness in his wide eyes when they danced. The kind gesture by handing her his jacket. His concern for her. He wasn't as bad as she thought he was. She'd completely misjudged him, or let one side of him take over his entire character, the importance of her mistake was he wasn't all that bad. He simply wanted to be taken as a tough Captain with no blind spot. He would need to cover himself up like he had when he'd Arachnophobia hot on his tail. He couldn't give them a weak spot in his defence.

She fell asleep with more questions than ever about her Captain. She couldn't quite grasp him, understand his character, there was more to him than the eye meet and she was curious exactly what hid behind his facade.

The morning that came, everybody was already up and above. Tsubaki was making breakfast, Liz sitting beside her and inspected her nails. Sid sat on the other side, resting his chin on his hand with his mind in the blue.

"No way! I'm not goin' to get pissy-pants off the port!" Black*Star exclaimed at Kilik.

Kilik sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Ye're the right-hand-man, Black*Star. He's yer responsibility so ye should row back an' get his sorry ass."

"Hell no! Why don't _ye_ go an' get him? Huh? I'm busy with enjoying Tsubaki's company an' eating her food!"

She only rolled her eyes at their bickering. Well, _someone_ had to step in and stop their ridiculous arguing before Kilik ripped Black*Star's skull off for being a pain in the behind.

"Guys." Maka stepped closer to them. "Black*Star, I thought you were a God." She couldn't believe those words were actually coming from her mouth. "Don't Gods take care of their underlings? Ox is your underling, right? So shouldn't you be taking care of him?" Her eyes narrowed and she couldn't believe she actually used his confidence against him. "Or maybe you aren't as great as you think. Maybe Ox is stronger than you and that's why you don't want to get him because you know he'll defeat you in a real battle."

Instantly a vein popped and threated to burst through his skin on his forehead. "What?! NO WAY! I'M WAY GREATER THAN THAT PUNK!" He fisted his hands and pumped his right one up in the sky. "I'M GOING TO ROW BACK TO THE PORT IN LESS THAN THIRTY MINUTES AN' THEN I'LL KICK OX'S ASS SHOWING HIM WHO DARES TO ACT BIGGER THAN ME!" Simply as that, Black*Star ran toward the small safety boat at the back of the ship Sid had pulled her out of months ago. He lowered it quickly as he loudly bragged about himself to the heaven.

She slowly shook her head. He was unbelievable. A true knucklehead.

"Black*Star. He'll never change, will he?" Kilik spoke, wearing a soft smile of amusement.

"No." She smirked wide as she saw Black*Star row like a maniac toward the port. "He'll forever be the most obnoxious and egocentric man I've ever come across."

Tsubaki announced breakfast was ready and with Black*Star gone and her Captain in need of breakfast as soon as possible with him not eating any dinner last night, she took it upon herself to deliver his breakfast. It would also give her possibly time to snoop around his cabin for clues of his strange facade.

Tsubaki prepared a bowl of ginger soup and put it on the silver tray. Maka grabbed it and went over to his door. She knocked on the door, receiving instantly a permission of entry. Her hand twisted the knob and it slid open.

"Breakfast." She said and closed the door behind her.

Captain Eater sat behind his still messy desk, this time full of open books, maps and papers. His eyes widened for a second before he spoke. "Sprog? What happened to Black*Star?"

"Um." How could she put this in good terms? "Black*Star rowed back to the port. Ox was missing last night and they informed me that Ox had gone to the town to buy stuff for Patty and Royal Thunder. He never returned due to Arachnophobia's ambush on them."

He loudly slapped his hand on the surface of his desk and ran his hand through his hair. "Curse him." He muttered under his breath. "No of them ever learn to follow orders."

Maka slowly neared him with the tray in her hands. "I'm sure he hadn't any ill intentions. How could he have known Arachnophobia would launch an attack on us? No one of them saw it coming."

She reached his desk and to her surprise, on the desk right in front of him, she saw he cloth with the strange mermaid language drawn on it.

"Is that…?"

Her Captain first cocked his eyebrow before he gazed down, realising what she meant. "Yeah. Gave them a fake clue. It's not the first Arachnophobia tries to steal the clues to Oni's Treasures. I always go around with fake ones just in case."

"Oh." She paused. "Well, here is your breakfast. Tsubaki made ginger soup." Maka held out the tray. Captain Eater laid his hands above hers on the handles and carefully she entangled her own from his. "Enjoy the meal."

"I'm sure I will."

Maka turned on her heel and she was ready to exit his nest.

"H-hey Sprog."

She came to a halt and looked over her shoulder at him seated behind his wide desk, scratching his cheek as he avoids her gaze. "Last night… It stays between us."

"Aye aye Captain." She exited his nest and joined the others around the pot full with soup.

As she expected, the breakfast was amazing. Tsubaki had a hidden talent for herbs and mixing spices. The aroma of the soup made her mouth water and the taste of it made her almost fall of the log. She had never tasted anything like Tsubaki's cooking since she joined Shibusen. It reminded her a little bit of her home. She bet her grandma would've loved to learn a recipe or two from her.

Throughout the breakfast, Patty was sad since she never got the colour book Ox promised he would get her. Her miserable frown almost matched the sorrowful face of Sid's.

Sid always looked very sad and his mind was constantly in the blue. Even when you addressed him, he would barely nod his head but never get engage in conversations. What he was thinking about remained a mystery.

After breakfast everybody silently went to work. Liz, Patty and Kid went underground to examine the explosives and see if they were of use. Tsubaki was cleaning away the breakfast and Sid quickly headed toward the nets, probably to check out their and the sails condition after Arachnophobia's ambush.

Kilik stood up and followed Sid toward the net.

She had to get to Sid.

"Kilik!" She ran for him.

He turned around and gazed at her. "Maka? What's up?"

"I was just wondering…" She smiled softly at him. "Can I go up with Sid in the net in your place? I've never been up in them and I would like to learn how to handle and take care of the net and the sails."

"Sure" He gave her a thumb up. "I don't see a problem with it. Ye gotta learn them at some point. Might as well be sooner than later." He turned toward Sid who was already climbing the net to the main mast. "Hey Sid! Ye're goin' to teach Maka the sails!"

Sid came to a halt on the net grimaced. "Fine. Get up here lass!"

A large smile spread on her face. "Right!" She ran, jumped on the railing and grabbed a hold of the net. Her feet stepped on the ropes and she heaved herself up with her legs.

"Use yer arms an' pulled yerself up." Sid yelled from above her.

She nodded. "Right!" She followed his hint and climbed up the net, using her arm strength instead of relying only on her legs. She climbed higher and higher up the net, following Sid. Sid stepped off at the large main mast branch and held the rope as he waited for her. It took her a little longer than Sid to reach the branch of the main mast. The wind grew stronger and ripped at her hat and clothes viciously. Instantly her hand slammed on her hat before it disappeared with the wind. Carefully she stepped onto the branch of the mast, holding tightly onto the net as the wind threatened to push her off.

Sid stood with his hands in his pockets as the wind blew strongly in the sails like it was nothing at all. He truly was a real sailor with a killer balance.

"How am I supposed to keep my balance?" Her hands tightened on the net.

"By keeping it. Practice's the only solution, there're no shortcuts. That's just the way it is."

Maka gulped. If she fell, she would surely break bones. Bones that would take weeks to heal.

"O-okay." Carefully Maka lowered herself and sat down on the branch with her legs dangling ten yards above the ground. There was no way she could stand up and keep her balance like Sid, she was a novice at the sails.

Sid gave her a large amused smirk. "You're smart, lass." He turned around. "Now come on. The sails need to be checked and maybe fixed."

"Right!"

As he went calmly and carefully along the branch, Maka crawled after him. It took time as he skilfully wandered along the branch toward the trunk of the main mast. His gaze wandered along the white cloth in search for any damage.

"Sid." She spoke over the wind.

He stopped at the shaft and leaned toward it, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah?"

"Can I ask you a question?" Her feet dangling as she crawled closer.

"Sure. That's the man I was."

"You always seem so down. Are you okay?" She questioned when she was right in front of him.

He closed his eyes and his jaw tightened. Thick silence hung heavily around them. "That's me business. That's the kind of man I am now."

"But Sid, if something is bothering you, you can a—"

"Lass." He broke her off. "Putting yer nose into other's business's something ye shouldn't bother with. Ye're only here as a sprog. Focus on yer job."

She hushed. For the rest of the time, she stayed quiet. Whatever was on his mind, he wasn't going to open up any time soon. He was too focused on his work for his good. What he was keeping for himself, hopefully wouldn't weight him down too much.

The rest of the day, Sid and she worked in silence. They went through every rope of the net and every string to the sail to make sure there was no harm dealt. During her day with Sid, she realised she had to practise on the sails. No one knew when she would be forced to stand up on the branches of the masts, so she had to be prepared. As she worked, when a sore Ox gave Patty her colouring book and Ox feed his bird, he went to his hammock in the sleeping ward.

Maka couldn't help to gaze at Black*Star who snuggled up beside Tsubaki, occasionally groping her causing a blush to heat up her cheeks as they entwined their hands. It made her stomach twist with disgust. Black*Star was her friend on the ship, but she couldn't let him use poor Tsubaki like that. She had to tell her about his motives.

But now wasn't the time.

Dark soon fell and dinner time had arrived. The crew had gathered around the pot hanging over the fire and the aroma of a spicy tomato soup filled Maka's nostrils. Her stomach growled loudly and she lowered her head in embarrassment.

"Look who's hungry." Liz smirked and patted her back.

"Don't worry Maka." Tsubaki smiled kindly and grabbed a bowl from her pile. "You can get the first bowl. You worked really hard on the masts."

"HEY!" Black*Star interjected and stared with wide eyes at his lover. "I WORKED REALLY HARD TOO! I DESERVE THE FIRST BOWL!"

"Yeah right!" Kilik grinned from across the fire from Black*Star. "All ye did today was get Ox an' groping Tsubaki."

"ONLY A GOD COULD'VE ROW AS FAST AND AS FAR AS I DID!"

"Stop screaming yah overgrown monkey." Liz covered her right ear and glared at the right-hand-man. "Tsubaki, yah might want to gag him."

"She's already done that, stupid!" Black*Star exclaimed and instantly the air turned heavy and Tsubaki's face flushed a bright red. Maka did definitely _not_ need to know any more details about their intimacy. Walking in on them was far more than she needed to know about them.

"So!" Tsubaki smiled shakily as she poured soup into the first bowl. "Dinner's ready! Here Maka." Tsubaki handed the bowl and Maka gladly accepted it. She could take the first bowl as a peace offering from Tsubaki. She knew Maka didn't want to be dragged into their business, but repeatedly, she was pulled into their relationship. Maka gazed into Tsubaki's eyes as she worded a "sorry" and offered her a smile.

If only, if only she knew about Black*Star.

It would be the last time she got involved in their relationship.

Maka mouthed a "don't worry" and grabbed a spoon as Tsubaki started pouring up more bowls of soup. Black*Star grabbed Captain Eater's typical silver tray and Tsubaki put a bowl on it to the sound of a door slamming open.

Maka's head whipped around and saw her Captain wandering closer.

"Captain." Black*Star stood up from the log and held the tray. "I was just on my way―"

"I'm not here for of the food." Captain Eater spoke harshly. The shred of friendliness Maka had witnessed was completely obliterated and his dark ruthless facade was one again there. His narrowed eyes moved toward Ox. "Ye disobeyed me orders yesterday an' ye abandoned the crew like a coward."

Oh no.

Ox's eyes twisted with fear and he curled over his bowl. "B-but C-C-Cap―"

Captain Eater fished his hand inside of his black jacket and the next moment, he held a wooden gun and pointed the muzzle toward Ox.

"Captain!" Maka shouted. "You can't do this!"

"Yes I can." He pulled at the hammer and loaded the gun.

Quickly Maka stood up on her feet and stepped in front of the gun. Her pulse throbbed in her ears. Fists balled at her sides as she glared at him. How dared he raise his gun toward his own crewmember? He was cruel and she couldn't let his hatred cloud his judgement.

"If you want to shoot him." She took a step closer and the muzzle of his gun aimed at her forehead. "You must get through me first."

"Maka!" Liz hissed.

"Ye're crazy!"

"Ye know he'll shoot ye!" Kilik snarled and stood up from his seat. "Captain, spare them both. Both of them're valuable―"

"Shut up!" Captain Eater barked and his hand tightened on the handle.

Maybe it was stupid of her to do this. She completely forgot the fact he would actually _kill her_ in order to get to Ox. Just like before, she interfered and she got to taste the whip. Now she would get killed because of her interference. Her Captain was evil enough to hurt her, and he most certainly was evil enough to take her life to get to Ox.

She swallowed and tightened her hands. Even though she was scared of her Captain's limitless hatred, she wouldn't― couldn't show a shred of fear. He would never gain the pleasure of seeing her quivering in fear. There was no way she would grant him the power of her fear. She was in control of her own fear. Not him.

Her eyes pierced his dark red ones, narrowed into mad slits. His finger placed on the trigger as he forcefully pressed the muzzle against her forehead. "Any last words?"

"Yes." She gritted her teeth. "You're a coward."

His eyes flickered. Only for a millisecond his facade came crumbling and left was a cocktail of fear and shock in its purest form before he built up his walls again. It was repeating itself. She'd faced the same fear in his eyes when she was forced to play his love interest. He was hiding his true emotions behind that fortress of his. What was it he feared so much he had to defend himself by killing and hurting those he should've trusted the most?

He bared his teeth threateningly. "Ye know nothing."

"I might know more than you think, _Captain._ " She mirrored his expression. "And you know what? You're just a scared boy, hiding behind that cruel act of yours. You're―"

"Shut up!" He pressed his gun roughly against her forehead, forcing her to backpedal.

"Maka!" Tsubaki gasped.

"You know I'm right." Maka spat at her Captain. "That's why you're reacting so violently. You're just scared I've seen through your fake act."

"Ye little." Even though he harshly snarled at her, his eyes reflected his true emotion; fear. He knew as well as she knew, he only acted tough because he was scared. And now, with her seeing through his act, he'd become even more scared. Now it wasn't she who feared him, now it was him.

"Punish me as much as you want." Maka grabbed the gun and held it tightly so he couldn't remove it. "Ox and the others have done nothing to deserve your hatred, but I have. So whip me and beat me, but I won't let you hurt them!"

Captain Eater turned silent, pressing the gun toward her head.

"If you shoot." Kid suddenly interjected and another gun was in play, but Kid's gun was pushed against their Captain's temple. "You're dead."

"Kid!" Captain Eater snarled. "Ye dare go against me for _Sprog?!"_

"Yes." Kid pulled at his gun's hammer and his eyes narrowed. "My loyalty is to you, but I refuse to let you spill Maka's blood. She shows true bravery by standing up not only for Ox, but for all of us. Now it's our turn to stand up for her."

Maka's breath caught in her lungs.

"Yeah!" Patty jumped up from her seat, spilling some of her tomato soup on the floor. "We're here for yah!"

"Hell yeah we are!" Black*Star pumped his fist into the air. "A true God takes care of his minions!" Tsubaki smiled toward Maka and stood beside Black*Star.

"We all are." Kilik smirked and crossed his arms over his chest as Liz stood up, leaving Ox seated with his arms crossed like a stubborn child and Sid unbothered eating his soup.

"And yah know what, Cap'n?" Liz spoke up and supported her arm on Kid's shoulder. "If yah hurt Maka, yah'll have all of us after yah and I can guarantee yah can't fend off all of us."

The oxygen was sucked out of her lungs. Maka couldn't believe it. All of her friends. They joined her and stood up to the Captain with her. Their support touched her heart and she realized she'd gained friends worth more than her weight in gold. Friends who stood up and supported her and covered her back when needed, those kinds of friends were the rarest and a true treasure.

Captain Eater eyes were wide and sweat glistered behind his bangs. The fire reflected in his eyes, showing his façade he'd made sure to maintain to every price had been eliminated and showed uncensored and shakeable fear. He was quivering in fear on his spot and the hand holding his gun shook in her hand.

She smiled wide toward her Captain. "Well? Are you ready to throw yourself at Shinigami and let him collect your soul?"

He gritted his teeth as he glared at her. "Release it."

She let go of his gun and Captain Eater retrieved it, putting it back inside of its holsters. Kid removed his own gun and tucked it away.

Captain Eater turned on his feet and gave his back to the crew. "Enjoy the evening. Tomorrow we'll sail for the witch's lair." He started walking toward his nest.

"Captain."

He came to a stop, but he didn't face her.

"I understand you're afraid, but you don't need to be alone." She smiled wide at him, simply hoping her message would reach him. "You're not alone. You've your crew by your side. Instead of hurting and threatening us, why not accept us so we can help you."

"That's all?" He sounded aloof.

"Yes."

He continued waking toward his nest with less grace.

Her smile widened and she had a feeling, he'd taken in her message to reconsider his pirate ways.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

That night, after everybody had gone to bed, Maka practiced on the mast. She climbed the net, trying to climb faster and walking on the branches of the masts. She knew whenever she could be forced up in the net or up the masts, and when the moment came, she needs to be prepared. It could be a pirate, a storm, the crew, who knew. All she knew was she was at a disadvantage to be the only one in the crew who wasn't experienced with the masts.

It wasn't like she would be sleeping much. Sleeping on a cold hard floor didn't grand her much sleep anyway. It was good she could use her hours awake doing something useful and meaningful.

As they sailed toward their destination, her Captain never left his nest. The crew acted as that night had never happened when they saw their Captain crumble and stared at them with fear. Nobody talked about it, but Maka couldn't forget about it. He feared her, he feared his own crew, but why?

Maka shook off the thought. It was no use thinking about it.

"Land ho!" Ox shouted from the top of the main mast, Royal Thunder seemed to be missing. That parrot had trouble keeping track on them.

Black*Star nodded and turned on the steering wheel. "Lass, you go and announce it to the Captain."

"Okay." Maka carefully leaned the handle of her mop against the wooden bucket. Maybe she could confront her Captain now. As much as she disliked his cruel ways, he was only cruel to cover up his fear, and that fear could easily be eliminated by kindness. There was hope for him. She never thought she would think that about a person like _her Captain_.

She headed for her Captain's nest. Respectfully she knocked on his door, earning an "enter". Twisting the doorknob, the door swung open and she entered. "Captain."

His hands ran through his white hair exhaustedly. His head snapped up and wrinkled his nose when his eyes settled on her. "Close the door."

She closed the door as he wished. He looked like a mess. His hair was knotted and his eyes were tired, under them cladded heavy dark bags. Maybe she wasn't the only one awake during the night.

"Sprog." He sighed and his hand got stuck in his messy hair. "What's it now?"

"We're close to our destination." She neared his desk he was seated behind. On his desk was the cloth with the unreadable language of the mermaids. "Do you think the witch will be able to translate it?"

He removed his hand from his hair and rested it beside the clue. "If she can't, then I've a backup plan."

"You do?"

He snorted. "Don't act shocked. I always have a backup." He closed his eyes and exhaled. "Sorry."

Wait.

"What?" Her mouth hung ajar. The second apology she'd mystically gotten from her Captain. What was going on?

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. Just got a lot on my mind." He rested his chin on his palm as he gazed at her tiredly from across the desk.

She couldn't believe this. Was he really, sincerely apologizing? How come she always saw this side of him when she was alone with him, but as soon as others were involved, she ended up with a gun aimed at her head?

"You know," she might as well make the most of it when her Captain was calm and civil, "if something is on your mind, you got people to talk to. You're not alone."

Her Captain visibly swallowed hard and his fingertips dug into his jaw. Silence hung heavy between them. "It's not easy." He paused. "Look, Sprog, it's Captain business. Not something I can share."

She wasn't buying it. His eyes avoided hers and stared at the clue.

"You don't need to tell me anything right now. I'm just here to tell you land was sighted." She turned on her heel and headed for the d―

"Wait."

She turned around to the sound of a chair being pushed and found her Captain standing up. "I appreciate it." He stared deep into her eyes with his powerful ones. "The offer. It's nice to know even after I pointed a gun toward you head, you offer your time to listen to me. It means something knowing I'm not hated by everyone."

Maka cocked her eyebrow and took a step closer to her Captain. What was he thinking? He might be rough around the edges, but hate was a very strong word. "If you're implying the crew hates you, you're entirely wrong. I bet they feel the same as me, simply wishing for you to show more compassion and respect toward them. If you do so, the crew would stand up for you just like they did for me."

His hand tightened and he fisted the cloth in his hand.

"Whatever illusion you have created to make you think the crew hates you, you're wrong. If they truly hated you, they would've left this ship as soon as land was in sight." She smiled toward her Captain and clasped her hands in front of her. "You haven't done anything that truly would earn their hatred." She turned on her heel and exited her Captain's nest.

Outside the breeze brushed her exposed cheeks and she pulled at her hat. The sun gazed down at her and warmed her body. She was about to return to her cleaning duties when she found Tsubaki moping the floor with her tools.

Tsubaki noticed Maka and she smiled wide. "Hi Maka. I thought you could use a break. You've worked really hard this morning."

She couldn't help but return her smile. Tsubaki was too kind for her own good, although she did understand her. With no sailing experience, she couldn't help much which left her with nothing to do except check on her medical kit and familiarize herself with the medical kit Shibusen provided her. Most of the days, she ended up helping Maka by grabbing a scrub and a bucket and scrubbed the deck. Sometimes she took over completely, which meant Maka could join in and help with the sails. She was steadily learning when to pull and when to release the ropes thanks to Kilik's help.

"Sid, release the anchor." Black*Star hollered, earning a "aye, aye" from Sid and he headed toward the front of the ship.

Maka cocked her eyebrow and gazed at the blue-haired moron. They were far away from land, so why were they stopping?

"Black*Star." She caught his attention. "We're still far from land."

"'know. The witch doesn't like visitors so she hasn't used her hokus pokus magic to create a dock. We'll have to row to the shore."

As on cue, the door to her Captain's nest opened and out he came. His hair was no longer the unusual white mess she'd witnessed inside of his hideaway. His bangs shadowed his tired eyes and his hands were shoved deep into his pockets. On his back were two swords in their holders. He was already armed with his own sword at his hip, was the mission so dangerous he had to have two spares?

"Avast ye!" Instantly everybody's eyes were on him. Tsubaki stopped her cleaning and Ox quickly slid down from the mast and climbed down the net. Captain Eater waited for everybody to gather in front of him before he started talking. "Okay everyone, we're going to visit the witch Kim. I want Sprog, Tsubaki, Kilik an' Black*Star with me, the rest of ye, I want ye to guard the ship."

Maka caught Ox's jaw hanging wide before he closed it, wrinkling his nose in annoyance.

Captain Eater turned to the sister pair and to Kid. "If _any_ sail's sighted, I want ye to signal us. If a ship with Jolly Roger's sighted, fire away. Kid, I trust ye to make the right decisions."

Kid bowed his head slightly. "Roger."

"Everybody got it?"

"Aye aye Captain!" Everybody said in unison.

"Good. Now return to yer tasks. The rest comes with me to the boat." He turned on his heel and everybody was about to scatter when Captain spoke once again. "One more thing, from now on, I want all of ye to call me Captain Soul." He didn't turn to face his crew as he spoke. When he finished he continued to walk toward the stairway up toward the rear end of the ship.

Maka's jaw hung wide open. She couldn't quite believe what she'd heard. He'd actually taken her advice and asked the crew to call him a more informal name. He'd taken her advice. It was a sign. He longed for change and he was ready for it. He was taking small steps, but they were steps to truly earning his crews respect and support. She'd truly made an impact on him for him to take charge and change.

Black*Star had his arm around Tsubaki as they followed the Captain.

"Are ye okay?"

Maka fluttered her eye and snapped her head toward the left, finding Kilik gazing at her.

"Oh! Yeah! I'm a bit surprised Captain Eat— Soul said that."

"Yeah, it's not like him." Kilik took a step toward the stairway and nodded his head toward it, indicating for her to follow the others. She followed him and went up the stairway with Kilik in front. "I think something is changing him. He's been acting… different."

Maka wanted to ask him more about this change of his. She hadn't noticed any change in her Captain until now. Has she been that oblivious, or was it simply because Kilik had worked longer with their Captain and truly knew how he acted?

They joined up with the others. Capain Soul ordered them to get into the boat. When everybody were settled within the boat, her Captain seated beside her, Black*Star lowered the boat slowly into the water. Kilik unhooked the ropes from the boat and took charge of the rowing. It was a good distance to the shore and through the whole ride, she'd to witness Black*Star being all over Tsubaki. Her stomach turned with disgust by the view. To think he could use her like that was atrocious!

Instead, she stared of at the island they headed toward. Beautiful tropical island she's only seen sketches of from Stein's adventures. The leaves of the exotic trees were greener than grass and the sand was a perfect pale beige. In the distance she could see grey high mountains. The view was like nothing she'd seen before. It was like it was ripped from a dream. Nothing as beautiful as the island could exist. It couldn't be real.

Fifteen minutes later, Kilik jumped into the water and pulled the boat as far as he could on the shore before Black*Star tossed the anchor into. Maka jumped out of the boat and landed on wet sand. Instantly she moved to dryer sand and kneeled down, cupping the sand in her hand. Soft. Unbearable soft and so fine. The sand caressed her fingers as it ran out of her hand.

"Tsubaki an' Sprog, don't be deceived." Maka faced her Captain who stood closer to her than she'd thought. "This island may be beautiful, but it contains a lot of danger."

"Danger?" Tsubaki spoke up. "What kind of danger?"

"Because of the witch!" Black*Star yelled in an attempt at gaining back Tsubaki's attention. He was like a greedy baby screaming for his mother's attention.

"Black*Star's correct. The witch performs experiments on the environment an' animals. Plenty of creatures an' flora's mutated an' may appear harmless, but they're actually very deadly. Be on yer guard." Captain Soul drew his sword and had it ready as if one of the creators would pounce on him.

Black*Star wasn't far behind pulling his two daggers from his belt that ran diagonally across his chest. He handed one of the daggers to Tsubaki and smiled gently. She returned his smile and accepted it. "I hope ye won't have to use it, but ye never know."

Kilik drew his sword and so did Maka, both swords ready for an attack. Whatever they might face, she wasn't going to let anyone get hurt. She'll be strong enough to protect everybody.

"We'll go in a line formation. I'll lead an' take the front, Sprog ye're second. Ye'll cover the right side." She nodded. "Then's Tsubaki, ye'll focus on the general surrounding. Kilik, ye focus on the left an' Black*Star, ye'll cover our back."

"Aye aye Captain!" Kilik gave his Captain a salute.

"But it's not fair! I wanted to walk behind Tsu—" before Black*Star had even the slightest chance of finishing his sentence, Maka butted him with the back of her sword.

"Stop being such a creep!" She knew if Black*Star were to walk behind her, he would only stare at her ass. After all, he only saw her as a piece of ass and not as a living human being with emotions other than of lust.

He groaned and rubbed his head. "Fuck off, lass. I didn't even say anything wrong."

"You disrespect the Captain's orders just so you can enjoy the view of Tsubaki's back. That's wrong on so many levels."

"Oh yeah? Like what miss tiny tits?"

Her eyes narrowed into silvers and she punched him square in the face. "They aren't small! They're modest, you pervert!" She covered her chest with her arms. "You're so disgusting and you only see Tsubaki as a—" Quickly he leapt to her and covered her mouth even though his chin must be pounding with pain.

"Don't say another word." He growled lowly in her ear. "Ye keep yer tramp shut."

" _Black*Star._ " Captain Soul growled out and took a step closer them.

"Yo, bro." Kilik placed his hand on the blue-haired pirates shoulder before their Captain could. "It's not the time to start fights. We've got a job to do, okay man? Ye can continue bickering like housewives as soon as we get back on the ship."

Black*Star slowly closed his eyes and inhaled deeply to calm down his raging emotions. "Don't tell her." He muttered before he uncovered her mouth and backed off.

"You okay?" Her Captain stepped beside her and lowered his sword.

She nodded as she stared at Black*Star who wrapped his arm around Tsubaki's waist. He was a cruel man to want to prey on her feelings and use her. Maybe even as cruel as their Captain. She could now see why Captain Soul chose him. He was a predator and took advantage of women' emotions to gain satisfaction. He was just as cruel as their Captain.

"I'm more than fine." Her eyes narrowed as if she targeted the blue-haired man.

"Good. Then let's pay this witch a visit."

He went ahead and she soon followed. Quickly the formation was in place and Captain Soul led them inside of the tropical forest. There was no sort of trail for them to follow. They snaked around trunks of palm trees, cut vines in order to create a pathway and stepped over fallen trees and large boulders. Inside of the forest, she heard noises she'd never heard before, the sound of exotic bird songs and of the moss crinkling under the sole of her boots.

It was a magical place. It was like stepping right into one of her grandma's storybooks, almost like falling down the rabbit hole and uncovering a magical and curious world beyond her imagination. Except this wasn't a dream. This was reality.

The crew moved in silence. The only noise they made was from their steps and when they cut off vines blocking their way. Tsubaki's breath was short and occasionally she would let out a sound of amazement—

A loud hiss filled the air and Maka quickly spun around on her feet, finding a green snake with severed body and green blood on Tsubaki's dagger. The head of the snake hissed loudly at her, revealing long fangs. Maka gasped when the two severed ends suddenly changed, grew and from both of the ends, new heads were formed and hissed threateningly at them.

"Shit!" Kilik cursed and quickly sliced off one of the three heads. "Take out the heads!"

The new generated head leaped toward Tsubaki and Maka quickly sliced it off before it could reach her. Another hiss stole her attention and she discovered the final head of the snake was leaping toward her. There was no time. There was no time for her to attack. She squeezed her eyes shut and prepared for the pain, but it never came. Slowly she cracked her eyes open and saw the final head pierced on Captain Soul's sword.

"Oh Shinigami…" Tsubaki exhaled and placed her hand above her collarbone. "What was that?"

"An experiment of the witch." Captain Soul answered and removed the snake from his sword, dumping it on the ground. "For every time ye sever it, heads're created. The only way to kill them's by striking the head."

"Is anyone hurt?" Maka spoke and looked at her shipmates. Tsubaki game a thumb up and Kilik and Black*Star shook their heads.

"Good. Then let's keep moving. The witch's house isn't far away." Her Captain said. How he could know that was a mystery to her. She had no clue how he could orientate through the forest. She'd a feeling they'd went in circles due to the environment, but then there would be something that proved her wrong.

They continued forward in a slower pace. Captain Soul cut through vines and moved them away so the rest could move safely through. He certainly came across as more careful than he previous was. He made sure no one else had to cut or move any vines.

The gesture produced a smile on her lips. He was cruel and lacked empathy, but watching him care about them to take his time to create safe pathways and inspect the way they took, made her rethink. He wasn't as bad as she'd thought he was. He was certainly not the monster she'd pictured.

Captain Soul cut a vine and gently moved it out of the way. "Look out for the log." He stepped over it and waited in for everybody to climb over it before they continued forward.

"Welcome Captain Soul Eater."

Maka quickly spun on her heel and readied her weapons for an assault when her Captain raised his arm to stop her. "It's alright." Captain Soul spoke with strength. "Jacqueline, I thought ye would meet us sooner."

The woman Captain Soul had called Jacqueline, was beautiful. Long coffee brown hair and matching large eyes. Her modest body cladded in a short dark blue dress, it wasn't made of fine material like her dresses, but it was elegant and simple.

"I see you've brought some new _feminine_ faces." The woman spoke and smiled wide toward Maka and Tsubaki. "I'm Jacqueline, Kim's assistant."

"Hi Jacqueline, I'm Tsubaki."

"And I'm Maka."

"Tsubaki, Maka, I never thought I would ever see female members of Shibusen." Jacqueline nodded toward the direction they'd headed toward. "We should get out of here before the two-headed giraffe hears us."

Maka's eyes fluttered. Had she heard it right? No. It wasn't possible. She had seen a snake grow heads from severed body parts, but a two-headed giraffe, there was no way. She was funny. Like there would ever be a two-headed giraffe.

The crew followed Jacqueline and like Captain Soul said, they weren't far from the witch's home. Walking passed a few tree, Maka witnessed a cute two story house with an even larger building a couple of yards beside it, which was surprisingly larger than the house, both in width and height.

Jacqueline headed toward the larger building and a large crash was heard from within the building. "Damn it! Come back here!" The massive double doors pushed open and out ran a cute pink little piglet in full speed.

"No you're not!" Jacqueline exclaimed and readied herself as the piglet ran toward her. She dived toward the piglet and it quickly dashed the other way, escaping inside of the forest.

Out from the large building an equally pink haired woman came running out. "Did you get it? Where did it go?" The woman's hair was short and her eyes were a very light blue.

"I'm sorry Kim, it disappeared into the forest."

"Not another one!" She ran her hand through her short hair.

"Um, Kim, Captain Soul Eater is here." She gestured with her thumb toward the crew behind her.

The woman, Kim, who Maka assumed was the witch, moved her gaze toward them and cocked her eyebrow as soon as she laid her eyes on her. "Two women? Eater, have you picked up some stranded women? I never thought you would ever―"

"I know, these're Tsubaki an' Maka―" He nodded toward them "― they're in me crew."

"Well I be damned." She neared them with rapid steps, moved passed her assistant and Captain Soul. Quickly she infiltrated Maka's private sphere and gazed at her with analysing eyes. "Hmm." She kneeled down and gazed at her legs. "Your legs are strong." Kim's eyes moved up her body and came to a stop at her large shirt. "You're very tiny. Eater, I hope you're not paying her too much. She's―"

"I am and she's worth every penny." Captain Soul broke her off and caused both the women to snap their gaze toward him.

"You do?"

"You are?"

This was news to her. She hadn't gotten even a bronze coin from him. Wait. Was he implying she wasn't worth anything? It was a possible hypothesis. She wasn't working on his ship for money, she already had money at home. She was only temporary working on his ship. Her place was at Arachnophobia and that was her goal. She was sure now when she worked on Shibusen, she would see them again soon and then, she'll have something for them to gain a spot on the same ship with the Gorgon Trio.

"Yes I am." Captain Soul gazed at Maka and gave a very soft smirk. "Sprog's a very capable woman that surpasses many men in the art of swordplay. She's worth―"

"Hey! She's far from my level! No one can beat a God like me!" Black*Star quickly interjected and stepped in front of their Captain. "She's only an ant in comparison to the godly ME!"

Maka caught Captain Soul's closed eyes in annoyance and an exhale of irritation.

Kim sighed heavily and shook her head. "You still haven't muzzled the idiot? I could always remove his vocal cord for a price and if you're not pleased with the result, I'll give you fifty percent back, but I doubt you would want that."

"Jacqueline." Captain Soul exhaled her name heavily. "Could ye please show Black*Star an' Tsubaki to the garden. Tsubaki's a doctor an' I bet she's interested in some of yer herbs."

"You've a garden?" Tsubaki lit up and clashed her hands. "I would love to see what herbs you have."

Jacqueline quickly glanced at Kim, she nodded toward her and Jacqueline smiled wide. "Yes, come with me. If you find anything useful you're more than welcome to take some." Black*Star wrapped his arm around Tsubaki and as the two followed Jacqueline, Black*Star shot a glare over his shoulder at the witch.

"Let's go inside and discuss over some tea." Kim said after the three had left. The others followed inside of the cute house and Kim showed them to the living room were silk furniture decorated it. Kim offered them to take a seat before she disappeared what Maka guessed was to the kitchen.

Maka took a seat on the silk couch which was very familiar to one she had at home. Before Maka had settled on the couch, Captain Soul quickly pushed passed Kilik and stumbled over the leg of the coffee table, taking a seat beside her. The action left Kilik a little baffled before he took a seat beside his Captain.

Only a few moments later, the witch returned with a tray with four cups and a teapot. Kim put it down, poured tea into every cup and handed them to each of them. Maka thanked her and blew on her tea, taking a sip of what proved to be camomile tea.

"Now that will be three bronze coins."

She inhaled in shock and the tea went down the wrong pipe. She coughed. Without hesitation, Captain Soul immediately put down his own cup and grabbed hers, starting to smack her back. She coughed up the tea and breathed heavily, offered a smile toward her Captain. "Thank you."

Was the witch Kim serious? She was seriously going to put a price on her tea. Some hospitality she had. Maka didn't touch the tea.

"Don't worry about it." His hand lingered on her back for a few seconds before he removed it.

"So, I guess you're here for the item or more ointment?" Kim took a sip of her own tea and stared at Captain Soul. "Or perhaps both?"

"Both and more." Captain Soul's hand dived inside of his coat and retrieved the cloth with the language of the mermaids. "I need ye to translate this for me."

Kim took the cloth from his hand and examined the sentences with narrowed eyebrows. "How did you come across this? This is the mermaid's language."

"It's the clue to Oni's treasure."

"I should've known that." She flicked her hair and held out the cloth. "But unfortunately I can't decipher this."

Instead of Captain Soul taking back the cloth, he rolled his eyes and took out leather pouch what Maka guessed was filled with coins. "Could this help ye with this problem?"

"Absolutely!" Kim snatched the bag and smirked wide. "The first part is pretty boring. It's simply saying―"

"I want it word for word Kim. Written on paper."

She rolled her eyes, snapped her fingers and suddenly a notebook was in her hand and a quill. It came out from nowhere! A single snap of her fingers and there came a notebook and a quill. Maka had never before witnessed something like it! The woman before her was truly a witch.

Quickly she scribbled down words on the clean page with her quill. "Okay, the first sentences read as _on thy journey dangers thou have faced. Now my treasure thou near. The key to the sea itself hidden in a chest thou may find is only the beginning of eons to come._ "

Captain Soul listened carefully, scooting closer to the edge of the couch and he leaned over the coffee table. "And what's next?"

"I don't know." Kim let go of the notebook and it _floated_ in the air along with the quill. "The rest is hard to understand."

"Come on Kim!" Kilik exclaimed and slapped his hand on his forehead. "Ye've already gotten yer payment for that! We should've brought Ox with us―"

"Oh no! No, no. No." Kim ran her hand through her hair. "Okay! I'll translate the rest of it!" She snapped her fingers and the quill automatically scribbled down the rest of it on the notebook. She handed the cloth back and as soon as the quill finished writing, it disappeared. Magically the page from the notebook was torn out and it floated softly like a feather and landed in her Captain's outstretched hand. His eyes quickly ran over the last sentences.

" _For what thou seek will be the final destination before transformation. In the far off sea awaits what thou seek. Where only mermaids can reach or the souls of Shinigami, thy deadlights will lead the way in the darkness of night._ " Captain Soul read aloud to the rest to hear.

Maka had read countless of poems with hidden messages written by literature geniuses and she's been able to decipher every single one of them. But this one was far beyond her understanding. She could understand that their journey was coming to an end, the treasure was within their grasp if only they could understand where it laid buried.

"So, only a person killed by the sea, killed by Shinigami can reach 'his place?" Kilik spoke. "If that's so we're pretty much screwed!"

"If you want help with your little riddle." A wide smirk on Kim's face stretched and she leaned over the coffee table. Maka couldn't help but to notice Kim's neckline rid a little lower and allowed a good view of her well-developed cleavage. "I could help you for a small price." Maka wrinkled her nose at Kim winking toward her Captain. Was she actually trying to seduce her Captain? _Captain Soul Eater?!_ Even though he was fearful, he was a man with twisted lust and disgusting―

"No thanks." Kim's eyes widen and she pouted toward Captain Soul "I already know where we're going."

Kim wasn't the only one whose eyes were wide. Maka's eyes widened to the point of them almost leaving their sockets. Her mouth hung ajar and she couldn't help but to stare at her Captain. Had she really― had he really― really… _he rejecting her?_ She had obviously something other in mind with the "small price" and it was written all over her body.

"But I do want to ask ye for a favour."

Mentally she deadpanned. Of course he wouldn't reject her. He was just like every male out there. Just like Ox and Kilik going to pubs screwing women and just like Black*Star using Tsubaki for satisfaction.

Kim seemed very enthusiastic. A seductive smile crept on her face and she leaned back in her seat. Her already short skirt riding up her thighs and passed her stocking, showing up creamy skin. "Oh yeah." Her voice dipped and sounded as smooth as honey. "What can I help you with, Captain?"

Maka rolled her eyes. If he was going to be just like every disgusting male on ship Shibusen, she would rather not watch it. She'd enough of disgusting males who jumped at the opportunity to get in between a woman's legs.

"I need air." Maka muttered and stood up from her seat. "Thanks for the tea." She was about to head out when a hand lashed onto her wrist.

"Stay." She looked over her shoulder and saw the hand belonged to her Captain. "This concerns ye."

"It does?" Kim shot up from her seat and her mouth hung wide open.

She wanted to puke. "I don't know what sick things you're into but I'm―"

"Kim, I want ye to give Sprog some clothes."

Her sentence came to a halt. Had she heard that correctly?

"Clothes? What's wrong with what she's wearing now?" She gestured with her hand. "They might not fit her, but it's not like you're actually concerned with how you look."

Captain Soul released her wrist and went around the coffee table. He came in front of Kim and leaned in, shielded his mouth from any ears other than Kim's. He whispered and Kim's eyes widened as she stared at Maka.

It did involve her or her clothes, so why was he shutting her out? She was supposed to be a part of the conversation, wasn't she?

Captain Soul removed his hand and backed away. "Ye think ye're up for it?"

Without even looking at Captain Soul, Kim nodded eagerly and fisted her hand. Fire burned in her icy blue eyes as she stared at Maka. "Hell yes!"

"Good."

Kim snapped her fingers Maka's whole body tingled and her feet left the ground. Her stomach made summersaults as she was _floating over the table_. "H-hey!" Maka forced out as she was tumbling through the air. "What are you doing? Put me down!"

Kilik snickered at her as she started to float away from the two males, shooting a deadly glare at him. If only glares could kill.

"Don't worry." Kim sounded gleeful as she started to walk away with her still tumbling around in the air, trying to come down to the floor. "You'll soon be down on your feet." Kim led her away. She went through a corridor with Maka still in the air before she opened a door and entered. Inside was a simple bed with blue sheets and a wardrobe.

With a snap of Kim's fingers, the tingling sensation suddenly disappeared and she came crashing down on the ground head first. "Ouch." There was a sharp pain on her shoulder. Slowly she sat up and rubbed it gently. "Next time you decide to use that floating trick of yours, warn me, please."

"No need, now let's do this. I don't have the whole day." With a wave of her hand, the over-sized shirt of her suddenly shrunk to the correct size of her small body.

A blush was dusted onto her cheeks and instantly she crossed her arms over her chest. "H-hey! What are you doing?"

"I'm doing Eater a favour, what does it look like?"

"More like ruining my clothes."

She rolled her eyes and went over to the wardrobe. "You might want to step to the side."

Maka only had time to cock her eyebrow before Kim opened the double doors to the wardrobe. Quickly the wardrobe shot hangers, shelves and clothes out of it. She gasped and threw herself out of the way before it could crush her. Kim started to go through dresses, jackets and shirts as if Maka almost getting crushed by the infinity long shelves the wardrobe had spat out was not a big deal.

"Let's see here…" She murmured as she grabbed a jacket from the hanger, mumbled under her breath before she threw it over her shoulder, grabbing a new one. Quickly a pile was growing on the floor and Maka stood up on her legs.

"What are you even looking for?"

"I never thought I would see the day." Kim completely deflected from answering her question. "That Captain of yours seems to have his eyes on you."

She must have damaged her head when Kim dropped her. There was no way it could be correct. "What?"

"You heard me. Last time he was here he was the same ol' Soul Eater. Quickly getting here, do his business and then leave. Always moody and emo. It was really sad." She wandered closer to the wardrobe and grabbed a jacket from the hanger. "He's a completely different person now. I know something has changed him and I know it's you."

"You've got it all wrong. I haven't―" but she _had_. Only earlier that day, what she'd tried to get across her whole stay on Shibusen, she asked for change. And he was. He was opening up to her, he showed his true emotions and worked on freeing himself from his own fear. He had changed his name from Captain Eater to Captain Soul. He was opening up to all aboard Shibusen.

"You, Maka, are the true pirate among all of them. You're the one who did the impossible." Kim faced her with the jacket in her hands. "You're the one who's claimed his most hidden and well-protected treasure." Kim came to a stop and rested her index finger above her chest. "His heart."

Her mouth opened and closed, unable to create any coherent words.

"Here." Kim thrusted the red jacket with silver details and Maka instinctively took it. "Now put it on. Let's see how it fits you."

Maka did as she commanded. She slid the hanger out of the jacket and placed it on the bed, putting the jacket on. It was quite large on her, a very good size in her opinion. It would cover her chest and flatten it out now when her shirt wasn't doing the job.

"Just one slight change." She twisted the hand and the red colour melted away from her jacket and turned it into a vibrant green with golden hems and buttons. "There. That's a lot better."

She couldn't help but smile. The jacket was of fine quality fit for a male aristocrat on adventure. She'd seen Stein wear something similar to hers, but it was a lot longer and it was white. It was perfect for maintaining a male look and making it more difficult to identify her as Maka Albarn.

"Kim, it's―"

"I know, I know, I was just teasing him back there. I know when a man is off limits and I respect sisterhood. He's all yours as long as you stay away from my Jackie." She spoke with a knowing smirk on her face, snapping her fingers and the clothes were sucked into the wardrobe and so were the shelves and hangers, slamming the doors shut.

Maka's face heated up and she gazed at her. "You and Jackie? You're…"

"Yeah. Got a problem with it?"

"No! No. I'm just a little… shocked."

"Let me guess, after I made a move on your man, you thought I was straight?"

Maka balled her fists. "He's not my man!" She couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth. She turned and stormed out of the room. There was no way she was going to trust another witch again. They only sprouted nonsense.

She stormed back toward the living room, finding Jacqueline was back talking to her Captain and Kilik. Kilik held a large bottle of the super ointment that healed wounds in mere hours.

So that's how it was created. From a cunning money-crazy witch.

"Maka." Kilik smirked toward her. "You look badass in that jacket."

Instantly her Captain looked up from the dark wooden box in his hands and into her eyes. His mouth opened as if he was inhaling but then his air was stolen from him. "It suits you."

Her throat ran dry and she pulled her hat lower on her head. "Thanks." She mumbled as she approached them.

"Thanks Jacqueline. When ye manage to create one that can _actually_ take me to me targets, let me know."

"Unfortunately this is as close we've gotten now. Kim is working really hard on developing one that fulfils your desires."

Captain Soul sighed and put the dark brown box in his jacket. "Hopefully next time ye'll actually have one that works." He turned on his heels and started to head toward her. "It's time we start heading back to the ship."

Kilik and Maka followed their Captain out of the witch's house and Maka wasn't even surprised seeing Black*Star and Tsubaki in a lip lock.

Lust only created stupid decisions.

Maka's eyebrow cocked and she cleared her throat loudly. Immediately Tsubaki's eyes widened and she pushed Black*Star away from her, a dark blush spreading on her cheeks. Black*Star was seemingly very bumped out since he kept touching her waist and tugging her toward him.

Captain Soul ran his hand through his hair. "Tsubaki, Black*Star and Kilik, you can go ahead and prepare the boat."

Maka's eyes fluttered and she stared at her Captain bluntly as the three walked away.

"What is it?" Maka asked.

Captain Soul stayed silent as he stared at her, trying to find words. "I bet I can break your swords with mine."

"If this is some perverted j―"

"No, it's not." He pointed toward the new swords on his back. "With these."

Maka crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him bluntly. "What are you even getting at? Why would you want to make a bet?"

"Um…" His hand cupped his neck and massaged it awkwardly. "You know… maybe they are… I don't know… can you just give me your swords and let me show you?"

"I've no clue what you're getting at," Maka grabbed her swords from their holders and held them out.

Soul neared her and he grabbed one of her swords from her grasp. She couldn't help but note his warm fingers as they grabbed the handle of her sword. He backed a couple of steps away as he pulled out a sword from a holder on his back.

He wasn't… he wouldn't…? Or would he?

"Captain…?"

He readied her sword and his other came down on it. Her sword split and the end of it stabbed into the grass.

Maka's mouth hung wide open and she stared in horror at her beloved _broken_ sword. "Why did you do that?" She whispered as her gaze moved up to his red eyes. "Why would you break my sword?!"

"It was a bad sword as I thought." He let go of the handle and it joined its damaged end. "It may look strong with its fancy handle and fancy decoration, but it's useless." He spoke as he put the murder sword in its holder on his back.

She'd ordered the most expensive swords from a very skilled and recognized blacksmith. He'd worked on her swords for weeks and she'd paid a lot for her swords.

"Those swords were very expensive! What am I supposed to fight with now?"

"That's where I come in." He unbuckled the brown leather straps running over his chest and took it off with the two sword holders. "I want you to have them." He held out the belt straps with the two swords.

Her eyes almost bulged out of her sockets as she stared at the swords. "You want _me_ to have them?"

He looked away from her and the sun's rays heated his cheeks to a pretty sunset pink. "Yeah. Your swords were bad and your holders are dangerous. Some pirate could grab your swords like I did."

She remembered the day. It was the second fight she got into. Just before the fight, when she drew her sword, he was quick enough to steal one of hers. It could cause trouble in the future indeed.

"You didn't have to do this."

"I know. But I wanted to. You're helping me, so I wanted to do something in return." He took a step toward her and his hand found hers. "Accept these as a gift from me." He guided her hand toward the leather strap and made her hold it. His hands cupped over hers.

"This is too much. I only gave you advice. I don't need anything."

"But I _want_ you to have these. You _deserve_ them. I want you to take good care of them."

Her heart skipped a beat and her gaze avoided his warm red ones, instead she focused on the fine metal handle. It was simpler than her weapons, but yet so elegant and powerful.

"Thank you…" A smile spread on her face and she returned her attention to him. "I'll keep them safe."

He smiled in return and released his hands from hers. Maka worked the crossed swords on her back and struggled with the straps. Her Captain came to her aid and helped her get her arms through the proper straps and buckled them together, creating an X over her chest.

"Let's re-join the others. They're probably waiting for us."

"Right."

Both of them started to head toward the beach where they'd left the boat. They'd only entered the forest when Captain Soul spoke up once again. "And, about earlier. When I talked about paying you, I'm going to pay you. I promise you."

She'd almost completely forgotten about that. "It's okay. You don't need to pay me."

"But you're working on my ship. You're much more than just a sprog. You're a valuable member of my crew and I _want_ to pay you. Like everybody else, you deserve a salary."

She'd a feeling it wasn't worth fighting him over it. He was going to do as he pleased. If he wanted to pay her, she would accept his money and then sneakily return it inside of his nest. He could use the money more than her. She was fine with how things were.

The comfortable silence was broken by a high pitched scream. She recognized the voice all too well. "Patty!" Maka yelled and started to run.

Captain Soul cursed and quickly followed her.

What was she doing on the island? She was supposed to be on the ship with Sid and Ox! What on earth brought her out on the island?!

Maka searched for signs of damaged surrounding. She knew where broken vines and stomped down plants were, they would lead her to her comrades. For every log she jumped over and every broken vine she slapped out of her way, she was coming closer to Patty.

"What are you doing?!" Liz. It was Liz.

A light broke through the thick leaves and trunks and she saw the white beach. She leapt out of the forest and drew her new swords from their holders.

A vision she'd denied had materialized in front of her. With Patty on it.

"Weee!" Patty cheered as she held one of the two heads of the two-headed giraffe. "Look at me sis!" Her grip on the creature's ears was strong and she steered the beast with strength and knowledge. She was sure Patty had never come across a beast like the giraffe with fangs and eyes as dark as coal, but she was controlling it as if she had.

Liz only rested her hand on her forehead and shook her head slightly. Black*Star didn't seem to be bothered at all and neither did Kilik. The only one that seemed slightly worried was Tsubaki.

"Seems like we were running for no reason." Captain Soul smirked at Patty and returned his sword to its holder.

Captain Soul grabbed Black*Star's attention and quickly his eyes found Maka's. He stared at her sternly before he excused himself and stormed over toward her. "We need to talk." He hooked his arm through hers and dragged her couple of yards away from the group before she even had a chance to protest.

The moment had finally come. Her stomach tightened and she'd a feeling this was only a continuation of what previously happened on the beach.

"Listen." Black*Star released her arm and stared at her. "Ye can't tell Tsu. Ye gotta have me back on this, lassie"

"And what?" She snapped at him, narrowing her eyes into silvers. "Let you use her for your own disgusting needs? Have you ever even thought how Tsubaki might feel about this?"

"Look, I know it's a dick move―"

"It's more than just a _'dick move'_. You're using her for your own selfish reasons!" Her voice raised in volume. "Just because you only see her as an object for your pleasure doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings! She loves you and you're fooling her and hurting her by lying to her!" Unwillingly tears rose in her eyes. She couldn't cry. She couldn't cry. She _refused_ to cry. She wasn't going to spill anymore tears over bastard men.

"Shit. Maka, just keep yer voice down. She might―"

"I'm not going to let your disgusting male ways hurt her any longer! You need to tell her the truth! You need to tell her she's only an object for your own selfish desires and you don't love her! She deserves to kn―"

"MAKA!" Black*Star screamed and covered her mouth.

"What…?" Maka turned around and saw Tsubaki yards away, holding her hands over her chest and tears rising in her eyes.

"Tsubaki!" Black*Star yelled and released Maka. "I can explain."

Tears welled in her eyes and she turned her back toward them. Black*Star called out her name and started to run toward her, but the damage was already done.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

She ought to keep her mouth shut. Her words caused a great rift in Tsubaki and Black*Star's relationship. The boat ride back to the ship was beyond stiff and heavy. Tsubaki sought comfort in the older sister's arms and Black*Star kept on calling her name from the other boat and occasionally sending Maka evil glares.

As much as Maka wanted to take back her words and tell it was all a sick joke, she knew she couldn't. The truth had to come out, but it could've come out in a better way than her screaming out Black*Star's true intentions in front of most of the crewmembers aboard Shibusen.

That night, Tsubaki slept on the floor beside her. She'd been crying the rest of the day, and even in her sleep, she was sobbing. It broke Maka's heart. Tsubaki was the kindest woman she'd ever met and she was the person who deserved the least to be treated in such a way.

Sleep wasn't in her cards that night.

She got up and got dressed, going up on the upper deck. If she couldn't sleep, she could always train on the masts. Silently she collected rope from a wooden box above and climbed up the net. When she reached the first branch of the main mast she took a seat, tied the rope around her waist and the other end on the pole. Carefully she got up on her feet, the wind was blowing less than usual, which would make it a lot easier for her to walk across the sail.

Her hands were out and her gaze fixated on the thick and powerful trunk of the mast. Slowly and steadily, she started walking and the rope was pulled along. The late moon shone down on her and the stars slowly started to disappear. A peaceful night for peaceful training.

She placed one foot in front of the others, making sure she kept her balance at all cost.

A door opened and a voice followed quickly. "Are ye training this night too?"

Maka squealed in shock, losing balance in the process. She fell from the mast and painfully the rope around her waist dug into her stomach, saving her from falling to a future of broken bones. She spun in the rope and she saw Sid standing outside of the sleeping ward.

"Sid?" She twisted her body to spin back so she could look at him. "What are you doing awake at this hour?"

"Black*Star's weeping like a baby without its pacifier." He went toward the mast she had been training on and started to climb on the net. "Y'know, I could ask ye the same question."

It was hard, imagining Black*Star sobbing over a woman he only used for his own entertainment was beyond comprehension. Black*Star; the male who bragged so highly about himself and about surpassing everybody else, even the Gods, cried because Tsubaki dumped him. No way. He couldn't.

"About the same here. Tsubaki was sobbing in her sleep and I couldn't sleep."

"Let me guess, the guilt's nagging at the back of yer head?"

Her hands tightened on the rope around her waist. "Something like that."

Sid went casually out on the branch of the mast and stopped right above where she was dangling from the rope. "Ye need a hand getting up?"

She shook her head. Her hands found the rope above her and started to hoist herself up. Sid offered his hand and she gratefully accepted. He pulled her up and they both found themselves seated beside each other.

"Ye know, what ye did by telling Tsubaki 'bout Black*Star's motive, ye did the right thing. If I were the slightest like the man I used to be, I would've done the same thing." He rested his elbows on his thighs as he gazed at her. "Ye don't need to feel guilty. Black*Star brought it on himself."

"I don't know." She sighed and rested her hand on her cheek. "I hurt both of them. Maybe there was a different way I could've taken to spare their feelings."

"If ye ask me, I don't know why ye bothered to get involved. It isn't a part of yer job to take care of them."

She snapped toward his direction and stared baffled at him. "I wanted to help Tsubaki because Black*Star was using her. I couldn't simply look the other way and let Tsubaki be used in such a degrading way."

"He still hasn't learned the lesson of life." Sid fished up the golden chain around his neck and held the golden locket in his hand. "I never thought I would share this with ye, but ye've proven to be more genuine an' sincere than I thought. Ye actually care about everybody aboard Shibusen."

She recognised the locket. It had proven to be a watch. She found it out on the same day Black*Star screwed up by ruining one of their sails.

"Before I joined Shibusen, I was an everyday man. I went to work an' earned my income to finance me family." He pressed the button on top of the watch and it opened for her to see. Inside was indeed a watch and on the other side was a drawing of a beautiful woman holding a baby wrapped in a blanket. His eyes softened as he gazed on the picture.

"Are they your family?"

"Yes. It's me wife, Nygus, an' our son."

His gaze was so soft, but yet so heart wrenching. "They're both very cute."

"They are. Nygus's a very compassionate an' caring woman an' our son, a little bundle of energy. He reminds me a little bit of Black*Star. Just a smaller version of him."

A strained smile spread on her face. She couldn't even imagine Sid's child would be anywhere close to Black*Star's behaviour. Sid was calm as the morning sun, where would all the craziness come from?

Sid sighed loudly and closed the watch. "Then I lost me job due to the poor economy. Captain Eater―"

"Soul."

"―Captain Soul came along an' offered me a job on his ship. He didn't tell me it was a pirate ship, an' if me wife had found that out, she would rather have us living under a bridge than me working for pirates." He released the watch and let it rest against his chest. "I knew it was the best for my family to take the job. He offered good payment I could provide for my family, but…"

"It's hard to be away from them?"

"Yeah… it's the kind of man I've become; a ghost of the past."

"You shouldn't let the distance between you and your family prevent you from being who you are." A wide smile spread on her face as she stood up on the branch. "I bet your family misses you, but they live their lives to the fullest because I guess you wouldn't want them to sit around and weep for you?"

"Never."

"So why don't you do the same? Live and be the kind of man _you were._ Be that person and live your life to the fullest as long as you are here. And when you get home, you can share incredible stories of how you lived your life to honour their wishes."

His eyes were wide and vibrant. The current of pure life-energy danced right in his eyes for her too see. "Maka…" He whispered.

"So what do you say? Want to become the man you were?" She thrusted her open hand toward him.

An amused smirk stretched on his face and he grabbed her hand. "'right. Now let me teach ye how to properly keep yer balance before ye break bones."

Sid taught her everything he knew. As morning came closer, the wind awoke from its slumber. He taught her how to feel the push and pull of the wind, to truly focus on her balance and to most importantly, not to fall. With his guidance, the rope was quickly gone and even if she fell, he'd taught her how to prevent a fall and to get on the branch quickly.

Sid no longer was an empty shell staring off into space, his eyes were clear and present and most importantly, his personality was fuller. He no longer only cared about his work, no, he taught her with ruthlessness of a father, but with kindness and warmth of a mother. He was a changed man.

Sun painted the sky pink and the moon and stars were completely gone. Soon the sleeping crew and the broken hearted lovers were to awaken from their slumber. Soon the day would start and Tsubaki would start cooking and the others would prepare for the first meal of the day.

"What's that?" Sid spoke and pointed far away in the distance.

Maka turned around on the branch and saw the objection of his curiosity. In the far distance, there was brown large sailing ship. The bow of the ship was pointed toward theirs and approached them fast. Quickly Maka threw her gaze up and noticed their Jolly Roger was up and proudly swayed in the wind.

"Oh no." Maka whispered.

"Ship!" Sid hollered loudly. "Ship sighted!"

Quickly both her and Sid ran on the branch toward the net and climbed down it. Before Sid and Maka could start climbing down, the door to the Captain's Cabin was thrown open and his gaze quickly locked with hers. Only one moment after Sid yelled, and he was already out and ready to bounce at the enemies.

Maka pointed toward the direction of the ship as she and Sid climbed down the net. Soul fished up a spotting scope and extended it. He gazed into it and whistled. "Navy ship." He whirled around. "Get ready to fight mates!" He hollered at the top of his lungs.

As soon as Maka and Sid reached the floor, the crew ran out of the sleeping ward.

"Prepare the canons!" Captain Soul hollered and immediately Liz, Patty and Kid jumped down the hatchet, leaving it open. "Black*Star!"

Sid was right, he looked like a wreck. Dark heavy bags under his eyes and snot running down his upper lip. He sniffled and wiped it off as he went slowly over to their Captain. "What's it?"

"I want ye to guard the hatchet, make sure no one gets down below an' hurts Tsubaki." He placed his hand on the blue-haired monkey's shoulder. "Can ye do that?"

It was like the weight on his back was discarded and his eyes lit up like a torch. "Yes. Hell yeah. Hell yeah I can!" He pulled his sword from his hip and held it high in the air. "I'll protect my Goddess!" And he leapt toward the hatchet with a huge smirk of excitement. Sid quickly dived down the hatchet and prepared himself for any damage the canons could cause.

"Sprog." Captain Soul spoke to the sound of their canons firing. He drew his sword and raised it encouragingly, giving her a small smile. "Be careful."

Her throat ran dry and she drew her swords Captain Soul had given to her. "You too." It was time to try them out for real.

The voice of Kid's hollered loudly "fire!" and then cannons went off. Cannons were fired from both sides. Cannon balls rapidly speeded toward Shibusen and went right passed them.

"Look out!" Captain Soul hollered and both of them threw themselves on the ground as the cannon ball flew right where they'd stood. "Ye 'right?" He turned toward her and grabbed a hold of her hand, holding it tightly.

She looked up from the ground and her eyes quickly glanced at his hand squeezing hers. "I'm fine. Didn't hit me."

Relief washed over him and he squeezed her hand. "Good."

Her family would lecture her about intimacy with a man if they caught her now. Even though cannon balls were being fired and this was _not_ the time for hand-holding, he didn't let go of her.

"Um, you might want to let go of my hand. We're being attacked, you know."

"Oh― yeah. Probably should."

"Yes… not the perfect time for hand-holding."

His hand stayed on top of hers.

"Um, Captain?"

"Oh! Shit! I'm sorry." This time he slid his hand from hers and cupped his neck, massaging it. "Not the time to hold hands during a―"

"Hold on!" Black*Star hollered and only a moment later, the boat shook and Maka looked away from her Captain's captivating crimson eyes. The ship was suddenly humongous and unknown battle cries of men filled the air.

"Biscuit eaters!" Captain Soul cursed and jumped on his feet with his sword in the air. Maka quickly followed as men in fine sailor uniforms swung in ropes and aboard the ship with their swords raised. One man in particular released his rope and flew through the air toward her. Her hands tightened on her handles and readied herself for the attack. In a matter of moments, Soul stepped in her way and blocked his attack.

Her eyes widened and she found herself frozen, simply staring at her Captain pushing away the man before he pierced his sword through the man's chest. She jolted at the sound of meat tearing and the man's dying moan, the worst was when her eyes locked with the brown eyes of the man. She witnessed as the light, the energy and the life in his eyes slowly vanished.

Soul retrieved his sword from the man's chest and let go of the corpse. He whirled around and his eyes as red as the man's blood locked with hers. Instinctively she closed her eyes and tightened her hands on her handles to the point of her knuckles threatening to break skin.

"Sprog." His voice was worried. "Snap out of it. This isn't the time to zone out."

She was a pirate. Pirates killed. Pirates didn't flinch at the sight of blood. They didn't fear taking someone's life. But she couldn't help but to feel sorry for the man. What if he had a family waiting for him at home just like Sid? She wouldn't want to be the person to steal someone's life from them.

Her eyes opened. She could still fight. There was still a way. She'd done it before. She could do it again.

A man roared and swung his sword toward her, she reacted and blocked it with hers. In the corner of her eye, she saw her Captain smirking proudly. Her swords clashed quickly with the navy man, his skills weren't anywhere near hers or her Captain. She knew every time their swords clashed, there were perfect opportunities for her to drive her sword through his body.

No. She wasn't going to go thatroute. The only thing she looted was treasures, not lives.

His sword swiped toward her, she stopped it with hers. She grabbed a hold of his jacket and brought him toward her. She spun around and knocked him at the back of the head with the back of her handle. His eyes flickered, Maka gave another hard smack with her sword and he fell unconscious.

She laid him down on the floor and her eyes caught sight of Black*Star. He was fending off two men without breaking a sweat. He was fast. Faster than she imagined. His move was rapid as he parred both males' attacks on him. He was a killing machine. She'd never thought he was this good. The first pirate ship attack he'd been completely vulnerable. He was not a man to mess with.

He pushed the man away, pulled his dagger from his belt, threw it square in between the other man's eyes before he quickly killed off the other one.

Her Captain pressed his back against hers as both of them fend off two men. Maka finished hers off by smacking the handle to the head trick and shortly after, Captain Soul killed his foe.

The ship was silent, waiting for another mad man to storm toward them with his sword held high, but none came.

Black*Star was the first one to sigh with relief, pulling his dagger out of the man's skull. "Those fools shouldn't have picked a fight with the almighty Black*Star." He spoke in his calm and collected voice― surprise there― as he wiped off the blood on his dark pants before he put it back in his belt.

"Did anyone get hurt?" Maka questioned and looked around them.

"Other from a minor cut, I'm fine." Kilik said and she saw a small cut on his exposed bicep. With a little ointment, it would be healed within the hour.

Kid popped up from below and rested his elbows on the ground. "No injuries here."

"Good." Captain Soul nodded, wiping of the blood from his swords on his black jacket. "Kid an' Black*Star, I want ye to dispose of the bodies. Kilik ye go an' get yer arm treated. An' Sprog," Her gaze moved up from the floor and locked with his, "Ye come with me an' check out what the ship contains."

Maka nodded and everybody got to work. Captain Soul and Maka went over to the railing, the ropes still swung slightly and was a ghost of the event that had taken place. Captain Soul took one rope, pulled at it to make sure it would hold, before he handed it to her. She thanked him and swung over to the other side. She let go, landing on her two feet on the other ship. The rope swayed back to him and he skilfully grabbed it, swinging to the other side like he'd done it a thousand times before. Which he most likely had.

"We should check out their pantry. We're running low on food an' we could use extra."

Maka nodded. The last thing she wanted was the crew to work on an empty stomach. If they were to encounter more ships, or Arachnophobia, they would need all their strength.

She followed her Captain to the ship's hatchet. It shrieked loudly as he lifted it. Captain Soul climbed down the ladder first and she followed shortly after. "Do you think the pantry is down here?"

"All sailing ships are pretty much the same when it comes to usage of rooms." He nodded his head toward the front.

They both headed toward the front, her Captain turned on the knob and the door slid open, to their disappointment, they weren't met with sacks stacked with food or cans full with food. There were only empty sacks, used cans and two large barrels with taps on them. Captain Soul approached one and turned on the tap, only a golden drop came from it.

"Beer." Soul muttered under his breath. "Looks like they were in a worse situation than us. No wonder they attacked us."

Maka cocked her eye as she watched him move to the second barrel. "Why?"

He turned on the tap and quickly turned it off when a flow of beer came from it. "It's unusual for Navy to attack us. Shibusen spreads fear in every sailor's heart, usually it's we who do the attacking, but this time the roles were reversed. Probably thought they could throw us off by attacking at dawn." The pirate Captain brought down the barrel from its stand, too easily. "Seems like they were running out on beer too."

"They must've been very desperate." She could only imagine, working hours on end without a crumb of food, urgently working to reach a harbour to gain some food.

"Yeah. Go up the hatchet, will ye?"

"Aye aye Captain." Maka gave him a playful salute and turned on her heel. As she headed up the stairs, her Captain rolled the barrel toward the hatchet.

"And by the way." He said when Maka had climbed up the hatchet, kneeling beside it, ready to hoist it up. "There's no need to call me by me title when we're alone."

Instantly her face heated up as Captain Soul lifted the barrel. "But Captain, I can't disrespect you with such informalities. It would be very rude of me and―"

"Sprog." His voice was as soft as a feather. The barrel was high enough for her to grasp. "Ye're the best I have aboard the ship. I consider ye―"

The sudden noise of a gunshot filled the air and Maka whipped her head toward the sound. It came from their ship. The barrel left her hands and she sprinted toward the railing to the sound of her Captain cursing. The rope still swayed in the wind and without stopping, she leapt from the railing, flew through the air, catching the rope. She swung to the other side and landed with a thud.

Another gunshot and then another followed. It came from below. Without a thought for her safety, she leapt down into the hatchet and saw a man in the navy uniform collide with the ground, a wound between his eyes. Kid had his gun raised with smoke rising from his muzzle.

"Black*Star!" Tsubaki crawled from underneath the blue-haired monkey who protectively laid over her. "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah. I'm a God." He sat up with pain painted over his face. His bicep bleed heavily. He'd gotten shot in the arm.

"What happened here?!" Maka ran over to the two on the floor and grabbed a hold of Black*Star's arm to examined the wound.

"It was the navy man. He wasn't as dead as we thought. He snuck down below and the next thing he shoots our food and tried to kill Tsubaki." Kid explained as he put his gun away in its holster.

"Thank Shinigami! The wound isn't deadly." Tsubaki sighed with relief and took Black*Star's arm from Maka's grasp. "A little stitch and ointment and you'll be fine." Tsubaki grabbed his hand and stood up. "Come with me and I'll patch you up."

A large smile spread on his face and he bounced up on his feet. "Hell yes!"

Maka spun around to a loud thud and she saw her Captain completely drenched. She sniffed and she smelled the strong scent of beer―

Oh.

"I'm sorry."

Captain Soul waved it away as Tsubaki and Black*Star went passed him and climbed up the ladder. "The barrel was barely even half-full. It's no big deal."

"Yes it is." Maka nodded toward the pantry. Maka cringed at the sight of the corpse half inside of the pantry and his blood soaking the floor. As if her Captain red her mind, he grabbed the ankles of the man and pulled him out, only then she could enter the room. Maka grimaced at the damage done. The last two sacks of tomatoes had a bullet hole in it and the gunpowder made it completely inedible.

"Exactly what we needed." Captain Soul sighed loudly and ran his hand through his hair. "He knew what he was doing. If he was going to die, he wanted to take us with him."

"By making us starve."

He nodded slowly. "The closes port is four days sail away." He went over to a shelf were they kept canned food and quickly counted them. "Thirty cans… one can a day. We could make it there if we saved the food."

"Oh no." Maka sighed and rested her hand on her forehead. "This is bad. We haven't eaten anything today. One meal a day won't satisfy our hunger."

"I know. I don't like this situation as much as ye do." He turned on his heel and ran his hand through his white hair. "But this's what we'll have to live on. Let's just return to the enemy boat an' hope the Captain hid food in his room."

"Right."

Both of them returned to the boat and Liz, Kid and Patty continued to dump the bodies into the sea so Shinigami could claim them. Captain Soul and Maka entered the Captain's Cabin, but there was no food. Captain Soul found money and jewellery which he gladly took. There was nothing of use on the boat. When Black*Star was treated and the corpses dumped into the ocean, they readied the sail for departure. To discard the boat, Captain Soul threw a match on the alcohol Maka had dropped and it lit up. Maka and Captain Soul evacuated the ship and returned to theirs and started to sail away. The whole crew stood gathered at the railing as they watched the flamed reach the upper deck and climbed up the mast.

"Well in the end, we got to witness one hell of a bonfire." Black*Star commented. Maka wanted to punch him, but he was injured, she didn't want to reopen his wound on his arm.

"It is a very tragic view consider only a few hours ago people were fine and sailing that ship, but yet, it is very beautiful." Tsubaki stood close to Black*Star as if he would do something impulsive to reopen his wound. Even though they were emotionally raw, she would still keep him on a short leash to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.

A child cried.

Maka's body went stiff. The Captain's Cabin swayed open and there stood a young girl in a nightgown, holding a doll to her chest. "Daddy!" She screamed loudly and she could hear the agony in her voice.

She didn't care about the men her crewmembers slaughtered, but she wouldn't let a _child_ die. The child had done nothing wrong! She had to save her!

Quickly Maka unbuckled the straps and her swords fell to the ground and so did her green jacket.

"Don't." Captain Soul had drawn his sword faster than lightning and held it toward her throat. "It's too dangerous. Ye could be pulled down with the ship."

"But it's _a child!_ We can't let her die!" Maka hollered.

"Some sacrifices have to be made in order to protect yerself from harm's way."

"I don't want to agree with the Captain, but he's right." Tsubaki stared down on the floor. "It is too dangerous. You could end up killed."

Maka bit her lower lip and lowered her head.

Her Captain was satisfied. He lowered his sword, but didn't put it back in its holder.

Tears welled up in her eyes. She wanted to protect the child, wanted to protect the child like she protected her beloved crewmembers. The child was innocent, had done nothing wrong, and hadn't an evil thought in her mind. Her hands balled at her side.

"Daddy! The ship is on fire!" She cried out loudly and her heart broke. Without a thought, Maka turned toward Black*Star, drawing his daggers and throwing herself over the railing.

"Sprog! No!" Captain Soul screamed loudly as she dived into the ocean head first. The cold water assaulted her body. She swam toward the burning ship. Her head broke through the surface and she gasped for air before a wave collided with her head, pulling her under the surface. Her hands tightened on the two daggers as she forced herself up to the surface and quickly inhaled. The waves forcefully crashed into her and threatened to pull her under.

"Come back Sprog!" Captain Soul screamed at the top of her lungs.

She couldn't. The water quickly cooled her body and she powered through and kept swimming toward the ship to the sound of the girl's screams.

The ship came closer and Maka arrived to it, quickly she drew the daggers through the wood and started to climb. Her muscles quivered as she climbed up, driving the daggers through the body of the ship.

Her teeth quivered as she hoisted herself over the railing and collapsed on the ground, an ice-cold quivering mess.

"Miss!" The young child dodged the flames that was on their way to devouring the ship. "Please! Take me to my daddy!" Tears were smeared on her rosy cheeks and snot ran down her lips.

The flames rapidly spread on the ship. The sail caught on fire and the trunk of the mast shrieked loudly as it broke in half, falling down and broke the ship. Any moment now and Shinigami would claim the ship as its own.

Maka grabbed a hold of the young child's wrist. "I'll save you. Jump on my back."

"Will you take me to my daddy?" Her brown eyes were twisted with pain and Maka couldn't lie to the girl. She stayed silent as she got up on her feet, spinning around and gave her back to the young girl.

"Get on my back."

Hesitantly, the girls viewed her back, but one gaze at the raging hot flames growing closer made her leap onto her back and wrap her arms around her neck.

"Hold on tightly!" Maka hollered over the deafening sound of the flames. The young girl dug her heels into Maka's hipbone as she threw herself over the railing. The cold water devoured her once again and the heat the infernos had provided was eradicated. She broke through the surface and she fought the waves to make it to her ship.

"Uaaawh!" The young girl yelled, her small fingers digging into her chest. "So cold!"

Maka gritted in pain when her hand cramped up. Her hand uncomfortably tightened on Black*Star's dagger and her entire arm cramped to her chest. She let out a cry of pain as she desperately tried to keep herself and the child above the surface. A powerful wave collided with her forced her and the child under water. Instinctively Maka released one of Black*Star's daggers and forcefully pulled at her ice-cold cramping fingers, kicking with her feet.

Another wave came and she tumbled her around. Her vision was growing blurry. She could no longer orientate what was up and down. Oxygen started to run low in her lungs. Powerfully she ripped at her fingers and let out a scream off pain. The little oxygen left her mouth and bubbles caressed her cheek and her neck.

Water entered her mouth and her body was cold, so cold and numb.

Her eyes flickered and arms wrapped around her waist. A moment later she was above the surface and she coughed up freshwater, inhaling fast and deeply. The young girl coughed up water behind her and she clung to her back.

"I got ye, lass."

She was so tired. Her body cold and numb, her vision blurry and she had barely energy to focus on Sid's words. The water disappeared from around her body and it dripped from her boots.

"She's cold as ice." Sid commented.

The girl left her back and she found herself in Sid's arms. Everything became a blur of events. Her body was beside something warm and she caught sight of red, orange and yellow flickering before her eyes. Hands were on her body and took off her clothes. Her body so cold and the hands so warm, heating up her frozen skin, she couldn't deny it. Then more warm naked skin was pressed against her back. The delicious hot skin heating up her frozen body. A hand gently caressed her left wounded hand, a tired cry of pain would escape her lips when the fingers would touch her sore skin.

Focus started to return to her as warmth did so. She lay close to a fire, the bonfire they cooked all their meals over. At Maka's side sat Tsubaki and applied the magical ointment the witch Kim had provided for them. A warm hand rubbed her right bicep, warming up her skin. A very _naked_ back and very _naked_ legs were pressed against her equally nude body.

She stiffened and looked over her shoulder only to be met with her Captain's exposed chest and red eyes.

She let out a shriek and immediately repelled from him, ripping her hand from Tsubaki's, covering her chest. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Saving yer life." Above his body was his dark jacket covering his lower body. For the first his muscular chest was exposed to her view. His body was all perfectly defined muscles and a large and ugly scar bisecting his chest. His other clothing were spread all over the ship's floor as if they were discarded in a hurry.

"Ha! Ha! Very funny! Why in Shinigami's name are you naked?!" Her head lowered and she noticed, she was _completely naked._ Not a single clothing to cover her up. "Why am _I_ naked?!"

His cheeks turned red and he removed his jacket from his body, to her relief, he wore underwear. "Here." Without hesitation, she snatched his jacket and wrapped it around her still cold and nude body.

For the first time, she noticed her Captain wearing a silver chain around his neck. It must've been hidden beneath his shirt and jacket.

Now when she thought of it, her neck was surprisingly light. Instinctively she reached for her neck and felt her grandma's necklace was gone. "Where is my necklace?!" She clawed at her chest where the heavy piece of jewellery used to be as if it would appear if she clawed through her skin.

"It's right here." Tsubaki reached on the other side of the bonfire and there her grandma's necklace laid above her white shirt, the emeralds glistering in the flame's light. Tsubaki grabbed the necklace and handed it to her. "It's a very beautiful necklace."

"Thank you. It is a gift from my grandma." Maka carefully made sure the jacket covered her as she put the necklace on. "It's very precious to me."

A door shrieked open and Maka looked over her shoulder and saw Sid and Black*Star. Memories passed through her head, she had almost drowned and Sid saved her. He saved her and the little girl. He was now dressed in dry clothes and had a towel rested on his shoulder.

"How is the girl? Is she okay? Where is she―"

"Relax. The girl's dry an' as fine as she can be. Liz has broken the news of her father's passing. She isn't taking it that well." Sid threw the towel from his shoulder at their Captain who caught it and wrapped it around his own shoulder in a poor attempt at covering up. He nodded with gratitude toward Sid and he returned a smile.

"I'm not surprised. She lost her father at such a young age when she needed him the most." Tsubaki lowered her head and agony for the poor girl reflected in her eyes.

"Liz's doing a pretty good job. She's connecting with her very well." A shit-eating grin spread on Black*Star's face and she knew exactly what would come. "But o'course if _I_ got a shot at comforting her, ye would be surprised at how fast she would start worshiping ME! The only true God!"

Maka rolled her eyes. Even know when a child was hurting, he could still oversee the bigger issue and make it all about himself.

"Please Black*Star, if you got a chance at comforting her, you would traumatize her even more." Sid spoke up with clarity and glared at him highly. She couldn't quite put her finger at what he was communicating. "She's very traumatized an' she needs all the support she can get. She needs other people to care about her an' support her an' show she isn't alone an' that she still can move forward. What she needs the least's someone to boast an' make light of this matter."

She knew exactly what the feeling was, because as much as Black*Star's eyes widen and the reality of his words sunk in, her heart swelled and she felt proud to have someone as Sid aboard Shibusen. His speech came right from his father-heart. Words only a real father could come up with and communicate.

"I'm sorry dude…" Black*Star apologized and his eyes stayed wide as his head lowered to the floor with shame. "I didn't mean to hurt anybody."

"No damage was done. But if ye'd said it to her face―" Sid cracked his knuckles and narrowed his eyes "― ye wouldn't want to know what came next."

He swallowed loudly as the door shrieked again and this time, Kid exited from the sleeping ward. "I'm to inform that Liz and Patty do not wish to be disturbed." He declared as he neared the group around the bonfire. "They're having… a very intimate and emotional conversation and they shouldn't be bothered."

Maka cocked her eyebrow at the man. "Are they okay?"

Kid nodded toward her. "Yes. This situation has… ripped up old wounds."

"So you're telling us…" Tsubaki cautiously continued. "… that Liz and Patty's parents gone?"

He crossed his arms over his chest and after a paus, he nodded. "I don't think they would approve of me sharing their life-story, but I think they would give me their consent to sharing that yes, their parents are indeed with Shinigami."

Instantly a heavy silent hung in the air. Maka could see how the newly orphan girl would rip up bad memories for them, and she felt very badly for them. She grew up in a very privileged home with a lot of privileges. Never did she have to worry a second about food or water, not even worry about cleaning her room. Everything was handed to her on a silver platter and everything was done for her. Never in a million years could she even start to comprehend of the life the Thompson sisters had to go through. The pain. The void. The burden of being _alone_.

"I think it's a good time to get ye dressed, Sprog." Her Captain spoke up and stood up on his feet. "Follow me."

Maka didn't protest, knowing fully well, she didn't have spare clothing and she wasn't eager to get dressed in moist and cold clothes. She started to follow her Captain, when a thought suddenly struck her like the cramps she'd gotten when she was in the cold water.

"Black*Star." She spun around and clutched her Captain's jacket closer to her. "I'm sorry I lost your daggers."

He waved his hand and gave her a small smile. "Don't worry 'bout it. I'll just get new ones. I still got me trusty sword." His smile turned to his usual grin and he patted the sword on his side.

She returned his smile before she retreated inside of her Captain's nest, closing the door behind her. Her Captain was already next to his prideful four poster king-sized-bed. At the end of the bed was a large brown wooden chest which he kneeled in front of. Captain Soul brushed a damaged hat out of the way and it tumbled to the floor.

Maka's eyes narrowed on the hat as her Captain started to go through his wooden box. She recognized the hat. She recalled her Captain wearing it when they met at the alley where her adventure had truly taken off. In her second swordfight with her Captain, when she was protecting herself from becoming the ship's boy toy, she sliced his hat into two pieces. Maka had never thought about it, but since that day, he hadn't worn his hat. And now she knew why.

"You didn't repair your hat." She carefully curtsied so she wouldn't flash her Captain and picked up the two pieces with her hand.

He didn't look up, he simply fished up a white shirt and threw it over his shoulder before he started to continue fishing up clothes. "Yeah. I know how to sew, but I'm afraid I would mess up the hat. Going to find someone who can fix it without screwing it up."

"If you would like I could repair it for you. My grandma taught me well." And it wasn't a lie. What her maidens did for her and what her parents prevented her from performing, her grandma had taken it upon herself to teach her. Her mother was always so disappointed with her grandma for 'wasting' her time at poor people problems when she could engage in her studies, which only showed how little her mother actually cared about her since she did really well in her studies.

Captain Soul stopped his search and met her green eyes. "Can ye do it?"

"Yes. If only I can borrow a needle and a thread."

A smile spread on his face and he nodded. "'right. It's a deal."

He gave her clothes for her to wear and a needle and to her surprise, golden thread. She asked if he didn't want something more concealing to his black hat, but he insisted that he wanted it to show. It would match his golden hems on his jacket and the hem of his hat. It had the potential of looking very good.

Her Captain exited to get dressed in his own clothes which were still outside. Why he didn't bring them with him was a mystery to her. After she got dressed in his large shirt, boxers and pants, she exited his nest, holding up his pants so she wouldn't drop them. At least she wouldn't flash her private for everybody to see.

Captain Soul was already dressed and Maka returned his jacket to him. Tsubaki wanted to run one last check-up on her wrist to make sure no damage was left untreated. She applied more ointment on her wrist for safety reasons even though her wrist didn't hurt that much and wrapped a bandage around it.

The door opened for a third time and this time, a very gloomy Patty peeked out from the door. "Maka." Her voice was beyond sorrowful and Maka hated the sadness in her usual gleeful blue eyes. "Angela wants to see you."

Angela. That had to be the girl's name.

"Me?" She questioned as she pointed toward herself.

Patty nodded and disappeared inside, but left the door ajar. Maka got up on her feet and headed toward the sleeping ward, gaining a worried look from Sid. She entered the sleeping ward and closed the door behind her.

On Liz's hammock sat the small girl in one of Liz's large shirts with messy brown hair and tears staining her cheeks. Beside the small girl sat Liz with her arms secured around the child as if she was her mother. On the other side was Patty seated with her hand comfortingly rubbing her back.

Slowly Maka approached the three and the young girl's coffee brown eyes stared at her. "I-I want to t-thank y-you" She hiccupped and sobbed, rubbing the seemingly endless tears trickling down her cheeks "f-for saving m-me."

The sight of the heartbroken girl in front of her and the sorrowful looks of the sister pair made her heart wrench in pain. Both for the girl and for the sisters. She tried to swallow down the lump of sadness growing in her throat and hold back her tears. For her, for the sisters, she had to stay strong. She had to show strength because as Sid said, she needed support. Her bursting out crying wouldn't help her.

"Thank you." Maka kneeled down in front of the hammock and peered at the hiccupping and sobbing girl. "I'm Maka. What is your name?"

She sobbed and wiped away snot from her lips with the sleeve of her shirt. "A-Angela."

"Angela. That is a very beautiful name. It reminds me of angels." Maka tilted her head and spoke with a soothing voice. "Do you believe in angels?"

She inhaled shakily and nodded her head.

"M-my d-d-daddy…" She let out a yell of agony and Maka's hands tightened with agony for the girl in front of her. If she could, she would take her weight off Angela's shoulders and bear it herself. Only if she could… "H-h-he always c-called me―" she hiccupped "―h-his a-angel."

"I can see why." Maka reached for her face and gently cupped her cheek, wiping away tears. "You're very pretty and a very nice girl."

A sob shook her tiny frame and she breathed fast and hard. "But I-" she sniffled and covered her eyes. "I d-don't know! I-it hurts!"

"Please Angela, can you find the strength to look me in the eyes?"

She sobbed and her small fingers dug into her skin. Her tooth bit her lower lip and she inhaled shakily. Her hands shook as she slowly and steadily, uncovered her eyes.

"Angela…" Maka breathed and blinked away the tears that threatened to spill in her own eyes. Her other hand joined on Angela's face and gently she cupped the young girl's cheeks. "You're in a situation you should've _never_ been in. I have no clue how incredible heavy the burden is and how much in pain you are…" Her thumbs wiped away new tears and her coffee brown eyes stared into hers. "But if your father was here, do you think he would want you to cry?"

She paused as she stared at her.

"I don't think he would want you to cry. He must be very sad seeing you crying. I bet he would want to see a smile on your face." She offered a small smile on her face. "What you're going through is very hard and you deserve happiness, and so does your father think."

"I-I just don't… don't know h-how to… accept."

"No one can ever replace your father. No one can ever take your father's place in your heart, but I want you to know Angela, we are all here for you. We are all here to support you and to care for you." Maka brushed pieces of hair behind her ear and soothingly wiped away her tears. "We are all here for you."

Her eyes fluttered and for the first time, her tears and hiccups and sobs paused. A few moments later she broke out crying, ripping herself from Liz's arms and reached toward Maka. Her eyes widened when clumsily Angela jumped down on the ground and threw her arms around her. Shock hit her and slowly, she snaked her arms around the tiny girl's frame. She held the girl close to her chest. As her own grandma always did to comfort her, she rubbed small circles on her back and gently rocked her in her arms. Angela climbed up on her lap and Maka cradled her to her chest.

Liz caught Maka's attention and she smiled kindly toward her, mouthing a "thank you". It threw her off. She'd done nothing, Angela was still crying and she was thanking her? What was she thanking her for?

Liz turned toward her younger sister and gave her a look Maka couldn't decipher, but Patty understood and got down from the hammock. Both the sisters silently left the sleeping ward for Maka to comfort the young child in peace.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

When dinner came and Tsubaki handed each one a can of curry. To everybody except for Angela. There was no way Maka could let the girl walk around hungry. As soon as she was handed the can opener, she put the spoon in it and handed it to Angela. She ended up staring at it for a moment before she took it, starting to eat.

As the caring man Captain Soul had become, he offered his own can to her, but she couldn't accept. She refused to take his. She was the one who saved Angela and put them in this food situation. She was the one who should take the bullet because Angela not having to worry about food was much more important than her hunger. Angela was the one going through a very rough situation, she needed her strength to get through it.

But she couldn't lie. It was difficult watching everybody eat their dinner while she sipped on some water. Her stomach growled uncomfortably and her nails dug into her stomach in order to quiet it down a little, of course it only caused Angela and Captain Soul to glance at her with worry.

Night came and Angela wanted Maka to tuck the sobbing girl in. Liz offered her hammock to Angela, insisting she could sleep with her younger sister. Maka stayed with her until her sobs silenced and she was brought into the land of magical and hopefully, positive dreams.

When she exited the sleeping ward, Captain Soul called on a meeting in his cabin, which surprised her greatly, it was even more of a surprise to the older members of the crew. Never before had Captain Soul summoned everybody for a meeting. Everybody gathered inside of his room and Captain Soul was already seated in his chair behind his large desk.

"We've to discuss what we're goin' to do with Angela." He spoke with his arms crossed over his chest. "We're low on food an' we're on dangerous waters, if a battle were to come to us, there's no way we could assure her safety."

"I don't know why we're even keeping her." Ox spoke up as he leaned toward a wall away from the group with his arms crossed over his chest. "She's only going to cause trouble. We should just slit her throat in her sl―"

"You must be joking." Tsubaki spoke up and flipped on her heels toward the bold man. "She's only _a child!"_

"But she's deadweight for the rest of us. Ye saw what happened. Miss wannabe-hero almost drowned an' now she's going to starve herself for the girl."

"Geez, ye've a weird way to show kindness, bro." Black*Star interjected and rolled his eyes toward Ox. "Last time I checked, lass has saved yer sorry ass twice."

His eyebrows narrowed and he snorted loudly. "Like she could ever. She's only a woman. There's no way a woman could protect a man."

"Last time I checked," A smirk grew on Black*Star's face "Maka protected yer sorry ass, took whips for ye an' was willing to take a bullet for ye. Sorry man, but it's outdated to hate on girls. They're our equals."

Maka didn't know what was more heart-warming, Black*Star's misogynist's ass finally admitting women are equal to men, or Tsubaki's light blush on her cheeks as she dreamily gazed at him from the corner of her eye. For once, he wasn't screwing up.

"And next time," A large grin spread on her Captain's face, showing off his dangerous sharp teeth. Her eyes widened when her Captain suddenly retrieved his gun and pointed it right at Ox. His eyes widened in shock and pressed himself at the wall as if he could slip right through it. "Ye want to degrade Sprog or mess with her, I won't back down so easily."

Maka cocked her eyebrow at her Captain, his smirk turned into a playful smile as he held his hands up in surrender. Ox sighed with relief as the muzzle was removed from his direction. "I was just kiddin'. Have some sense of humour."

"Maybe I'm not into death threats, Captain." But it did make her fingers tingle pleasantly and she had no clue why. She swallowed in a poor attempt at rehydrating her dry throat.

"Can we return to the topic at hand?" Kid spoke from his seat on a chair beside a coffee table. "I'm more interested in the child's future than death threats at the moment."

Captain Soul cleared his throat and held a fisted hand in front of his face, trying to cover pink cheeks. "Yes, o'course. We've the final clue to where the Oni's Treasure's hidden. The riddle leads us to the Island of Lost Souls."

"Island of Lost Souls." Maka repeated.

"Where's that? It sounds like a place we should _not_ be heading toward." Liz bit her lower lip and crossed her arms over her chest protectively. "What if there're _ghosts?!_ "

"Island of Lost Souls is a place not to be messed with." Kid said with a strain voice and he closed his eyes. "It's an Island only skilled sailors can reach. It's surrounded by magical stormy sea."

"And that's exactly why Oni hid his treasure there because it's the mermaids who cause the storm. It's their sanctuary." He paused and he moved his gaze toward Maka. "Since we'll be crossing a very dangerous sea, we can't assure Angela's safety. We have to send her to an orphanage where she can properly be cared for."

There was a painful stab to her heart. Automatically she moved her hand on her chest as if she could sooth it. "You can't be serious? We're the only ones she has left!"

"I think we should all remember," Sid said with his lips tightened into a thin line, " _we_ are the ones who sunk her father's ship. One of us killed her father an' when she grows up, she will come to realize it an' come to resent us for it."

She had never thought about it. They _had_ killed her father. It could've been her Captain, Black*Star or Kilik. No one knew if they were responsible for Angela's father's death. It could've been her, she could've knocked out her father and sending him to his grave by making him defenceless. _It could've been her._

Her stomach knotted with disgust.

"It's exactly the reason we can't keep her here. We've to protect her from getting harmed, but we also have to protect her from herself." Captain Eater spoke and knitted his hands together. "At morning, we'll be heading back toward Port of Demise. I've heard good rumours about a loving and caring orphanage there."

"It is. It's about two days travel by foot there." Liz said. Maka had a feeling there was more to it than she was letting them to believe.

"But that is in the opposite direction from Island of Lost Souls." Kid said.

"I know. Arachnophobia doesn't know about this clue, the treasure can wait for a couple of days. Right now Angela's safety an' food are our top priorities."

Maka's jaw hung wide open. Her Captain longed for the treasure. He would kill for the treasure. Kill for his share of immortality. He fought with Arachnophobia for the treasure, and now when it was within his grasp, he could wait? And he prioritized Angela's life above the treasure. What had happened with her Captain?

Her eyebrows narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. She wouldn't let his sudden change in his plans get to her. He was still going to send Angela away when she was in need of all of them. The sea was indeed a dangerous place, especially for a young child like Angela, but her father was a sailor in the navy, and she was aboard the ship. That must mean she was experienced with the ship. With a little help from her and the rest of the crew, she could become a full-fledged sailor. Angela could become a strong asset to the crew.

But her Captain still wanted to send her away.

"At dawn tomorrow, I want to head toward Port of Demise in full-speed. We should reach there before all of our food runs out if we work hard." Captain Soul nodded and untangled his hands to escape inside of his jacket. "An' one more thing," he retrieved a dark brown box and placed it on the table. "I want all of ye to touch this."

"What's that?" Black*Star cocked his eye as he leaned over it, inspecting it carefully. "Is it a magical box?"

"No."

"Is it a special box?"

Her Captain's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "No Black*Star, it's just an ordinary box." He grabbed the dark box and flipped the lid open, revealing a dark pearl in the centre and strange lines and circles carved into the wood around it. "It's the stone that's special. This's a bewitched compass. It can find anyone or anything that has been in contact with the pearl wherever it is."

"Ohhhh, sweet!" Black*Star snatched the box from Captain's hand and poked at the black pearl. "How does it work?"

"Calm your ass, monkey-boy." Liz snitched the box from his hand and touched the pearl before she passed it to her sister. "You might break it."

"Oh yeah, I'm the great Black*Star! Even if I broke it I could fix it! I created the planet! The sun revolves around me! THERE'S NOTHING I CAN'T DO!"

Liz and Black*Star bickered back and forth as every crewmember made sure to touch the pearl before handing it to the next person. Kilik handed the dark box to Maka and she touched the cool surface of the pearl. A light green shimmered over the stone's surface, probably meaning it had encoded her touch in its system. If that made any sense. She placed the dark wooden box on her Captain's table and he snapped the lid shut.

"You're all dismissed. Make sure to―"

A loud cry erupted and Maka snapped her head toward Angela's cries. She must be awake. Without a word to the rest of the crew or to her Captain, she exited the Captain's Cabin and found Angela stumbling out of the sleeping ward with her hands wiping away her tears.

"Y-You were gone!" She cried and stumbled toward her. Instinctively she kneeled down and brought the small child into her arms, giving her a tight hug as she rocked her in her arms.

"I'm sorry." She whispered into the child's ear as she rubbed her back. "It's late. You should be in bed."

"I-I woke up…" She sniffled.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her thick brown hair. "You should go back to bed. I need to sleep also."

"W-will you s-sleep with me?"

"Angela, my bed is not inside of the sleeping ward. I sleep on the floor and it isn't very comfortable."

"Then I will sleep on the floor too!" She cried out and her tiny arms tightened around Maka's waist. "I can sleep on floors too!"

Maka's eyes fluttered close and she simply held the child in her arms. She could always share a hammock with the small girl, but Maka was a night owl. When she snuck out of the sleeping ward, she could potentially awaken the whole crew. Her forehead twitched and she ended up grimacing. Also Ox was sleeping close to Liz's hammock. He couldn't stand her! Quite frankly, he'd lost all her credibility. She was kind to him and saved him, but he only returned snide remarks and cruelty. She would rather stay away from him. And Royal Thunder. He would glare at her throughout the night. He might even decide to sharpen his claws on her.

"Okay." Maka pulled away from the girl and smiled kindly toward her. "Let me show you to the storage where I sleep."

Maka gave Angela her bag to use as a pillow and her now dry jacket as a blanket. With Maka seated close to the girl, her sobs died down and she was once again in the land of dreams. As soon as she was asleep, Maka changed from her Captain's clothes to her dry ones. She bunched up her Captain's pants to use as a pillow and his large shirt as a blanket. Maka laid awake for what felt like hours. She couldn't help but to think about Angela and Black*Star and Ox and everyone! So much had happened in one day she couldn't process everything. And with an empty stomach, it made it even more difficult to fall asleep.

Sleep wasn't in her favour. Only a few hours later she woke up by her stomach growling loudly and clawing her insides due to its emptiness. Her eyes locked with the two pieces of her Captain's hat and grabbed them. If Angela woke up, she would start crying and wake up the whole ship. It was better to stay close, fixing her Captain's hat was a great idea, even if she was pissed at her Captain for deciding orphanage was the best for her.

With the striking golden thread, she leaned against the wall and she sew, the moon sipping through the single window in the storage area. The hat was precious to her Captain and she wanted it to come out as well as it could. With her eyes narrowed and her tongue sticking out of her mouth, she carefully pushed through the needle through the fabric and sewed to make as beautiful stitches as she could.

In the end, with the sewing skills she'd acquired from her grandma, it wasn't quite enough. The stitches ended up uneven and crossed oddly, but the hat was nicely fixed and she could barely tell it was severed. Only the striking golden thread exposed the fraud.

A _'thud'_ caught her attention and quickly followed with a curse. Her hearing sharpened and she recognized the mumbling to belong to her Captain. It was late, he shouldn't be awake by this hour.

Carefully she placed the hat on the floor and she tiptoed over to the door. The door creaked as she carefully swung it open, finding a pillow and a blanket on the floor near the ladder. Through the hatchet came something large and rolled up, it stayed half through as if it was stuck.

"Captain?"

There was another loud thud and followed by her Captain cursing once again. "Sprog? Are you awake?"

"Yes. What are you doing?" She whispered loudly, hoping her voice would reach him.

"Don't ask, just pull on it, will you?"

Maka nodded even though he couldn't see. Her hands fisted the white fabric and she pulled on it. He pounded into the fabric and with their shared help, Maka stumbled backwards as the rolled up fabric unfolded and landed on the floor, proving to be a mattress pad ripped from a bed.

She cocked her eyebrow at it as her Captain climbed down the ladder. "What is all of this?"

His foot touched the ground and he neared her, crimson rubies shimmering softly through the darkness, making her heart flutter strangely.

"I want to apologize for what I said earlier." He whispered. "We're the only ones Angela has left, but you've to understand she can't be here when we head toward Island of Lost Souls. Shinigami could claim her soul."

"And just leave her? _She needs us,_ Captain."

He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he slowly shook his head. "Please Sprog, when we're alone, call me Soul."

"And I'll call you by it when I'm not mad at you." Her eyes narrowed and she neared her Captain, their chests' almost touching and only a tiny space separating their noses. "You're going to betray her and send her to an orphanage when she could be happy with us."

"Sprog, listen, we don't know if she likes it here with us. A life with us means a lot of danger for her and for us, but mostly for you because you would do something reckless in order to keep her safe." His hands settled on her shoulders and he squeezed them tightly. "You're too reckless for your own good. You could get yourself killed. _You almost got killed yesterday_." Captain Soul hissed toward her as his nails dug into her shoulders. "I don't want you to end up hurt."

"I'm not yours to worry about." She slapped his hands away and sharpened her piercing glare. "But Angela is. Worry about her." She swiftly turned on her heels and was about to head back toward the storage area to join Angela, but a hand on her wrist prevented her. A tug and she swirled on her feet, her chest slammed into his strong and warm one. Involuntary her heart fluttered and her eyes caught his impossibly soft red eyes.

What was this sensation she was repeatedly feeling…

"I know you feel like I betrayed you―"

" _You did―_ "

"Please, let me finish." His hand on her wrist softened and his thumb soothingly caressed circles. For every circle, electricity would spark over her skin pleasantly. "You're my best friend and I'll always have your back. The least I want to do is stab you in the back or hurt you."

Maka swallowed thickly. Her body absorbed his warmth he radiated off like it was D-vitamin from the sun. "Then get Angela to stay."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I'll make an offer then. We'll continue to sail toward the orphanage, but we'll see how she feels about us when we dock, then we'll reach a decision about her. What about that?"

She paused. It would give a fair chance for Angela to stay with the crew. She could show Captain S― Soul and the rest of the crew she was happy with them. If she now was. Maka was only playing on a hunch, maybe she wasn't happy with them and would rather be somewhere else. It would give her a fair chance to show her emotions toward them and they could make a fair decision for her.

A smile spread on Maka's face and she nodded. "Deal."

In return a smirk spread on his face. She backed away and their hands clasped, sealing the deal. His hand held hers firmly as they shook hands.

"Oh, I almost forgot." He retrieved his hand from hers and he pulled out a leather punch from his jacket.

"Really? I told you I don't need a payment."

"And I told you, you deserve one." He grabbed her hand and placed the pouch in her palm. He closed her fingers over it and cupped her hand with his. "You could always use it to buy nerdy books or ink."

She rolled her eyes at Soul. "They aren't _'nerdy'_ , they are very entertaining." Then it hit her and she cocked her eyebrow questioningly. "How did you even know I liked books? I didn't bring any with me on the boat and I haven't mentioned anything about books."

"Um," even in the dark, she caught Soul's cheeks flared and his hand escaped to the sanctuary of his neck, massaging it as he looked up at the ceiling. "Well, you _haven't_ mentioned it." He stumbled on his words. "You know, when you were in Kid's shop… you know… a book shop… and you were reaching for the ink… I sort of, um, jumped to conclusions."

"Oh!" She lit up and nodded, tightening her hand on the pouch in her hand. "That does make sense."

"Yeah…" He scratched his still heated cheek. "Um… you know… when Angela wakes up, come to me. I can help you get everything… settled… you know, you don't have to knock or anything… um, you can go inside. I won't be bothered."

He spun on his heel and quickly hurried over to the ladder and settled his hands on the bars.

"Wait. Get what settled in?"

His movements stopped. "You know… the bed things― I don't know… um, why I haven't thought about it before. I always knew you slept on the floor but, um, thought it would be nice for you to sleep on something."

Her own cheeks heated up and her heart tingled pleasantly in her chest. There it was again. The pleasant feeling. "Um…" Her throat clogged up with nervousness and she found herself desperately searching for words. "T-thank you."

"It was… nothing. Nothing at all really." His hands on the bars tightened. "I'll― I'll see you." He climbed fast like a cat up the ladder and shut the hatchet closed, leaving Maka alone in the dark cannon hallway.

Slowly she sunk down to the ground and held the pouch of money in her hands. What on earth was she feeling? She no longer could tell the name of what she felt toward her Captain. At the very beginning, she resented him for his ways. But now, he showed kindness, he worried for her safety and for the others. He grew from being cruel and sadistic to a true Captain who cared for his crew. She was… she was― she was proud. He became a man who she was very proud of.

But she was also proud of how Black*Star was turning out. He stood up for her inside of the Captain's Cabin and for the first time, spoke of equality between the genders. She was proud how Sid filled the shell he once was and cared for more than his job. But her fingers never tingled around Black*Star. Her throat would never clog up with nerves when she was around Sid.

She had never felt this way. Not in a very long time. There had only been one who might've had the potential― there _had_ only been one. A very dear friend of hers from the past. A friend in the summers she would meet by the shore near her house, and he would meet her there at the beginning of every summer, and leave at the end of it. The boy she treasured as a friend, he did make her feel good. She often found herself missing him and she treasured every moment she spent with him. He might've been her first love. If she hadn't been so blind…

But he was dead.

A sigh escaped her lips and she took off her hat, her hair pooling down around her shoulders as she ran her fingers through her bangs.

When her private teacher taught her, she always had the answers to every question. There was never a single question she left unanswered. Even if she didn't know the answer, she would search until she found it, but now, as hard as she tried to figure out her feelings, an answer wouldn't appear.

There was no use sitting around and trying to figure it out. She could be seated for days without figuring it out. Especially with her stomach empty and the lack of sleep making her body heavy and slow.

Maka grabbed the pillow and the blanket from the floor and headed inside of the storage room, draping the blanket over Angela's sleeping body. Not wanting to wake Angela up, Maka lay on the floor beside her and rested her head on the pillow, hoping she would receive a little more rest.

She hadn't.

Morning came too soon and Angle woke up a little happier than yesterday. She woke up without bursting out crying. With sad eyes, Maka went to her Captain's nest with the pouch of money. He was also awake, lying in his bed fully clothed staring up at the ceiling. As they headed out, Maka secretly left the pouch of money on his desk. He helped her get the mattress into the storage room. The mattress shouldn't be heavy, but it felt a lot heavier than it should've been. Her lack of energy was starting to wear her down.

When the mattress was in its place, the day begun. On empty stomachs, the crew started to work. Angela hung around Tsubaki as Maka cleaned the floors. As the day went by, cleaning became harder. Her stomach growled loudly, demanded food, but there was no food for her to eat.

That night she gave her can to a slightly happier Angela, sipping on a little water, simply hoping the painful sensation at her abdomen would disappear.

When it was time for bed, Angela and she disappeared down inside of their room. On the neatly made bed rested the money pouch she thought she'd sneakily returned to her Captain with a note. _"I've my eyes on you."_ Her cheeks could only darken in colour as she held the note close to her.

As the night went by, her hunger only grew and her muscles could barely function. As much as she wanted to sleep, she couldn't. All she could think about was food. The large pig the chefs would cook for Christmas and the sweet apple-pie her grandma would make. She could almost taste it. And it only made it worse.

It was hell for her. Cleaning felt impossible. The mop in her hand felt three times heavier and when soaked, it would turn ten times heavier. Her stomach painfully growled as she moped the rear end of the ship.

Black*Star was steering the ship only a few feet in front of her and his eyes would stay at Tsubaki playing with Angela. The other pirates worked with the sails to catch the wind and go as fast as they could toward Port of Demise. Even though they were hungry, they worked hard in order to reach the port as soon as possible. Judging from the concerned faces of her fellow crewmembers, she knew they were concerned for her health. She hadn't eaten in days and it was taking a toll on her.

"Ye 'right, lass?"

Maka looked up from the mope and toward the man gazing at her over his shoulder, concern visible in his blue eyes.

"Ye've been still for quite some time. If ye need a break, take one. Ye can have me water if ye want."

An exhausted smile spread on her face and her throat ached for water. Just the mention of water made her throat scream with want. "I'm fine." She waved it away as she supported her weight on the mope. "You don't have to worry about me. I'm totally fine. Never been better. This is nothing!"

His gaze stayed on hers before he faced forward. "Just don't overdo it. Y'know Cap'n said ye didn't need to work."

"I know, but I'm fine and the rear end needs to be cleaned up. Seriously, don't you guys know how to pee _outside_ of the ship?"

He chuckled heartily and he turned the massive wooden wheel. "A God pisses how he likes to, prude."

"I'm _not_ a prude!"

Black*Star snickered and gazed over his shoulder. "Said the girl who can't handle sex."

Her cheeks heated up and she gazed away from her obnoxious friend. To think she was proud over him for a second there. "What? I just think it's supposed to be shared between married couples. It reproduction and it should only be done when―"

"Blah. Blah. Yeah. Yeah. We get it. But let me give ye some Godly advice! Sex is awesome. It feels awesome. An' it should be done as often as ye can because ye know why? Pig guts exist."

Her eyes fluttered at the blue-haired sex-crazed man, now having turned around and leaned toward the wooden wheel.

He cocked his eyebrow. "Ye don't know? Man. I thought everybody knew 'bout pig guts."

Maka was very educated. She'd learned everything there was to reproduction. She knew everything there was about reproduction. Had she somehow missed something? She closed her eyes and looked away from him with embarrassment. "What? Like guts would do anything good."

"Oh but it does." She could hear the smirk in his voice. "It nicely captures every miniature babies of mines and prevents a Goddess like Tsu to get pregnant."

"Euuuw―" She whipped toward his direction and― her vision turned disoriented. Black*Star was standing at a ninety degrees angle and the world was spinning. _She_ was spinning. The corner of her eyes blackened and her shoulders grew heavier as if someone had dropped two large barrels on her.

"Lass, ye okay?" Black*Star's voice turned to a deeper and distant pitch.

She couldn't focus. Not on him or any object around her. Her world was spinning out of control and she couldn't stop it. Her knees trembled with exhaustion and the mope slipped from her hands. Her knees gave in and her back hit the railing as the blackness crawled forward and covered her vision to the sound of her name being shouted.

* * *

A groan escaped her lips as she turned to lie sideways. The soft material she laid on comfortable shaped after her curves and the blanket around her hugged her deliciously and warmed her chilly body.

It was already time to wake up? She wasn't quite ready to endure Azusa's fierce temperament and her vicious facts thrown at her face. She could always skip _one_ class of hers. She could use the extra energy to spar with her swordplay teacher. Swordplay was tiring enough without having Azusa's classes before.

A content exhale was released and she pulled her cotton blanket― her eyes snapped open and she sat up straight. She was met with the view of deep red silk sheets.

She wasn't in her bed. Deja vu ran through her body when she came to realize she was in her Captain's nest, _in his bed_. Oh dear. She'd thought she was back at home at the feeling of the bed. How in the world had she managed to crawl in Soul's bed?

"Nice to see you awake."

Her head snapped toward her Captain seated behind his desk holding papers in his hands. "You gave all of us quite the scare. Angela is very worried about you."

"I―" Maka gulped as she stared baffled at her Captain. "How exactly… did I end up here?"

"You fainted from exhaustion." He set his papers down and stood up from his chair. "I carried you in here and Tsubaki checked on you." He neared her as she sat on his bed with her hair released from the prison of her hat. The springs of the other side of the bed, which so happened to miss a pillow, blanket and a mattress pad, dipped to accommodate him. "Tsubaki came in about a while ago with this." He reached toward the bedside table and grabbed a silver can, containing food.

"Soul, I'm not going to eat it. Angela―"

"Don't worry about Angela." Soul retrieved a pocketknife from his jacket, flipped it and stabbed the lid. "Angela is still getting your share, if that's what you want." He opened the can and grabbed a spoon from the bedside table, putting it into the can with beans. "But you're getting my share of the food."

Instantly she started to shake her head. "No." Her hand tightened on the blanket. "It's yours. You need to keep your strength. You're more important than me―"

He snorted and grabbed her hand, enveloping her hand around the can. "I'm not the one fainting. You haven't been eating in days. You're the one who needs food the most." His tanned hand lay above hers, creating a beautiful contrast of their skin tones. Even though she'd gain a tan from being outdoors a lot, her skin tone was still paler than his.

"Soul―"

" _Take it._ " He pushed the can toward her. "I'm not going to let you starve yourself. You can't always think of others, you got to think about yourself too. I'm telling you I'll be fine skipping a meal."

She bit her lower lip. The aroma of the beans pleasantly tingled her nose and her stomach growled loudly. Her mouth watered at the view of the beans glistering. "Fine. Just this once!" And instantly her feast began. She shoved spoons overfilled into her mouth. The canned beans tasted of metal from the can and processed, but it was the most delicious food she'd eaten in a very long time. Never before had food tasted as good as it had.

She reached the bottom of the can too soon for her liking. The juices stuck to the walls of the can and she licked as much as her tongue would reach.

A glass bottle caught her attention at the corner of her eye. Soul held it out toward her and she snatched it from his hand as he took the can from her. With large gulps, she devoured the sweet water in mere seconds.

A content sigh escaped her lips and she flopped down on his bed. "Thank you…" She locked her eyes with his soft crimson eyes and gently smiled toward him.

"It was nothing." He grabbed the bottle from her hand and placed it on the bedside table. "How are you feeling now?"

"A lot better."

"Good." Soul stood up from the bed. "You continue to rest. Do you think you're well enough for Angela to visit you?"

"Yes. I can handle her."

Soul nodded and started to head toward the door.

"Soul."

He came to a stop and turned to face her. "Yeah?" His soft eyes piercing her eyes and pleasurably her heart fluttered.

"Um," her fingers fisted his sheets. "I fixed your hat. If you're going to be outside... you know… you could use it― um, since it's yours and it's whole again." The urge to slap herself ran strong. She shouldn't be tripping over her words like she was.

"Alright. Thank you, Sprog." His crimson eyes sparkled like the ruby rings on her mother's fingers and his smile shone brighter than the sun. Her throat tightened and her heart speeded like a runaway train. She was still left without an answer to what the sensations were.

Angela was sent inside of her room, crying with worry and Tsubaki soon followed. Angela crawled up and hugged Maka while Tsubaki took a seat where her Captain once sat mere minutes ago. Maka couldn't help but to notice the blush on her cheeks.

The next day came to everybody's joy. Today would be the day they reached Port of Demise, meaning a nice meal in their stomachs and alcohol to drink to celebrate another "successful" loot of a ship. The day had come for Angela to choose to either stay with them or go. Angela stayed close to her side, allowed to borrow Patty's crayons, she drew herself as a witch. She swung her legs happily as she lay on the floor.

Maka sat beside her and gazed at the ship's magnificent condition. It was clean like never before. The blood stains from the fight were gone. When she was asleep or playing with Angela in her Captain's nest, someone was picking up her work and finishing what she started. She knew it had to be Tsubaki, but she stayed most of the time with her and Angela, it would leave her very little time to actually clean. If Tsubaki didn't do it, she had no clue who it was.

"Cap'n!" Black*Star suddenly exclaimed from behind the wooden wheel.

Captain Soul who'd been leisurely leaned at the railing at the front of the boat, his fixed hat blocking the sun from his eyes as he gazed toward the horizon. Only a couple of hours and they would arrive. Captain Soul whirled around and was immediately at high alert.

"Can you come here a sec?" Black*Star exclaimed from across the boat.

Captain Soul cocked his eyebrow questioningly and slowly started to head toward Black*Star. On his way, his eyes locked with Maka and playfully smirked toward her. In return she stuck out her tongue. A soft chuckle escaped his throat as he headed up the stairs toward the rear of the ship. Maka was left with tingles in her fingertips as she viewed her Captain approach Black*Star.

Black*Star's lips moved, but for the first time, she couldn't hear what he was saying. For once, the loudmouth was quiet enough for her not to hear him halfway across the ship.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Tsubaki spoke seated in front of her with her herbs and pestle some leaves in her mortar. "Black*Star has never been this quiet before. Do you think something has happened?"

Even though Black*Star had broken Tsubaki's heart on the beach weeks ago, she was doing a whole lot better. In fact, Maka had a gut feeling Black*Star and Tsubaki would sort out their differences.

"I don't know. It's awfully unusual for him." Captain Soul seemed to agree with what he was saying, judging from his nodding and his lips moving in return. "He's definitely up to something. I'm still worried since he hasn't tried to get revenge from me dumping a bucket of faeces on him."

Tsubaki covered her mouth in an attempt at hiding her giggles. "Oh yes. He was raging for the whole night. He could barely get the poop out of his ears." She inhaled deeply to stiffen her laughter and continued to mash her herbs. "Do you think he's plotting his revenge with the Captain?"

A smile spread on her face as she watched Black*Star and Captain Soul clasping each other's hands and shook. As much as she didn't want to believe her Captain would side with Black*Star so he could get his revenge, they had obviously agreed on _something_.

Hopefully whatever it was, it didn't involve her.

Captain Soul wouldn't agree to participate in one of Black*Star's crazy revenges against her. No. He wouldn't. She would definitely not help Black*Star out if he was plotting something against their Captain. For some reason, the idea of Soul teaming up with Black*Star against her made her stomach turn with hurt.

"If they're plotting my demise, I would rather not want to think about it." Maka lowered the hem of her hat to shield her view of the two men beside the steering wheel. "What are you even doing? You've been mixing those herbs for some time."

"I'm glad you noticed." A large smile spread on her face as she ripped two leaves from one of her dried herb plants. "When we visited Kim and Jacqueline, I got to bring with me some very rare and special medical herbs. I think if I mix the herbs correctly and mix it with the ointment, I think I could create a super-ointment that could heal deep cut wounds without the need of stitching it up first."

"Wow. You think you can actually pull it off?" If she could, it could prove to save a crewmember from Shinigami's bony hands.

"Absolutely. It's just a matter of time before I've balanced the herbs with the magical healing ointment." Tsubaki smirked wide and gave a thumb up toward her. "I'll manage in due time." Black*Star had definitely started to rub off of her.

"Tsuuuuu~" A mere second later Black*Star crashed into Tsubaki and both of them skidded along the floor with Black*Star's arms around her protectively.

"What the hell Black*Star?!" Maka exclaimed and her eyes widened. "Are you c―"

"Sprog."

Her eyes directed toward her Captain now standing behind the steering wheel with his hands on the rods. His hand moved to his mouth and gently rested his index finger at his lips.

She cocked her eyebrow at him questioningly. Maybe what they had made a deal about didn't involve her, but Tsubaki? She trusted her Captain and if he wanted her to stand back and let Black*Star do what he'd in mind, she would let him.

"Tsu, ye know I've been good lately. Ye know even if I've been an asshole of a God to ye, ye know I'm still a good God, right? Ye do know that?" Black*Star held Tsubaki close to him as he lay on the floor with Tsubaki on top of him.

"Black*Star." She murmured his name. "I know you're not bad."

"Good. I wouldn't want ye to think of me as a bad God. I don't want _ye_ to think badly about me." His hands tightened on her. "But I don't want to go on without ye, y'know. Ye're me Goddess an' I was stupid for using ye like that. It was only at the beginning, I swear!"

"Black*Star…"

"I don't want ye for yer body. I don't want ye to even do anything ye don't want to do. I love ye. A cool God like me needs his Goddess an' Tsu, I'm lost without ye." His voice contained so much pent up desperation and so much affection toward the raven haired woman.

"Black*Star."

"Please, Tsu, please let me be yer God?"

A giggle erupted from her throat and she sat up on his lap. Baffled Black*Star's eyes flickered and he sat up with his Goddess's hands resting on his chest.

"Tsu?"

"I've waited for you to say that." Her hands wandered up his collarbones and settled in his blue hair. "I love you too, you fool."

A grin spread on Black*Star's face. "A true God is only a fool for his Goddess." His hands settled on her hands and removed them from his hair, clasping her delicate hands in his. "Tsubaki, that's why I'm asking to have the great honour of becoming yer own private God, will ye marry me?"

Maka chocked on her own saliva and ended up coughing violently. Her hearing must've failed here. There was no way he asked her to marry h―

"Yes! Yes of course!" Tsubaki exclaimed and their lips collided, joining in a passionate kiss. With tongue.

Quickly Maka's hand covered Angela's eyes, immediately she protested.

There was no way. Why― how― now?! They'd just made up?! Marriage? What on earth was going on these days?!

Black*Star pulled away and smirked wide with his swollen lips toward their Captain. "Captain! Wed us!"

Captain Soul smirked wide in return, calling for Kilik to take his place behind the steering wheel. He headed down the stairs as Maka uncovered Angela's eyes, standing abruptly up.

"Hold on!" She gained the attention of the whole crew aboard Shibusen. "Are you two crazy? You two just got back together and you're already getting married? That's foolish!"

"But it's love, Maka." Tsubaki smiled kindly toward her as she wrapped her arm around Black*Star's waist. "When it feels so right, marriage can never come too quickly."

"But― but―" her voice got trapped in her throat. "Now?"

"Might as well make it official immediately. Right Cap'n?" Black*Star smirked and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Captain Soul averted his eyes from his right-hand-man. "You got it―"

"Oh no, no, no!" Liz exclaimed from up in the sailings. "Are you two crazy?!" Finally someone was on her side. "You can't get married _now!_ Tsubaki doesn't even have a bridal veil! The bride walk down the aisle is also very important!"

Maka slapped her hand on her face as she watched Liz rapidly climb down the net and sprinted over to Tsubaki. She ripped her from Black*Star and clasped the woman's hands in hers. "Let me fix 'is! If you're goin' to have the wedding now, let me at least give it something extra." Tsubaki had barely time to answer her before Liz dragged her toward the sleeping ward. "Sid! Grab the horn an' prepare to play the bridal march!" As before, Sid didn't have any time to answer her from one of the mast's branches.

Captain Soul snickered as he rested his elbow on his right-hand-man's shoulder. "Seems like Liz stole yer bride from ye."

A blush spread on his cheeks as he puffed out his chest and directed his nose toward the sky. "It's 'right. Tsu's going to come back soon with a gorgeous veil."

The whole ship had turned into a wedding catastrophe. Liz shouted orders to Patty and bossed everybody to their places. She ordered Soul and Black*Star to stand at the front of the ship and Sid would be seated on a box a few feet away with his horn on his lap. In the process Liz ripped Maka's hat off her head with the excuse she was supposed to be a bride's maid and "needed to look more feminine". With the crew gathered leaning against the railing, viewing the priest Soul and groom Black*Star, Liz signalled for Sid to start playing.

The sweet music of the horn started, surprising Maka he could play the bridal march, but he was married and a great hornist. Liz waved toward Patty, who nodded and started to walk up the stairs to the music.

Maka cocked her eyebrow. Wasn't the bride supposed to walk first? Why on earth would Patty walk first? Had she missed the memo when Black*Star switched bride to Patty?

"Maka." Liz growled and pushed at Maka. "It's your turn."

In surprise she stumbled up the stairs to see a teary-eyed Black*Star, wiping away his tears before someone could see them. As soon as Maka reached the top of the stairs, she'd no idea where to go. Her eyes found Patty's a little away from Captain Soul and Black*Star, leaving a spot for Tsubaki. Casually she pointed with her thumb over her shoulder, Maka quickly hurried over toward Patty.

Then Liz headed up the stairs and strolled over beautifully like a real bride's maid. She was the perfect maid of honour for the perfect bride.

Finally, Tsubaki climbed the stairs. With a makeshift veil made out of a sheet and her dried herbs in her hands acting as flowers, she neared a crying Black*Star. A tear in return escaped Tsubaki's eye and she immediately wiped it away with the back of her hand.

Maybe getting married so quickly wasn't such a bad idea for them. They clearly treasured each other with all their hearts.

Black*Star reached his hand toward her and she accepted it gracefully, fingers entwining and all.

"Dearly beloved shipmates of Shibusen. Today we've gathered for Black*Star an' Tsubaki…?" Her Captain questioningly gazed at Tsubaki.

"Nakatsukasa." Tsubaki quickly added.

"Nakatsukasa unity."

"Tsubaki," Black*Star spoke softly as his hand tightened on hers, "will ye take me to be yer wedded husband?"

Maka could only gaze at the couple, deeply in love and completely lost in the other's eyes. "I do." Tsubaki whispered.

Automatically Maka's gaze shifted to find her Captain staring at her. A bare smile played on his lips and eyes as deep as the oceans they sailed on. Her throat ran dry and poorly attempted to quench her desert throat, but to no avail.

"Black*Star, will you take me as you lawfully bond wife in sickness and in health?"

"Hell yeah I do." Black*Star quickly spoke with a large grin on his face.

Captain Soul reluctantly ripped his gaze from Maka's and aimed at the couple in front of him. "As Captain, I now pronounce ye husband an' wife." But his gaze moved back to Maka's and she couldn't help but feel… relieved. "You may kiss the bride."

The couple jumped at each other and their lips slanted against each other's. Cheers and applauds broke free, and so did Patty's guns.

* * *

They reached Port of Demise in good spirit and hungry like wolves. As soon as the bridge was lowered, the whole crew except for Soul, Maka, Angela, and the newly wedded couple stayed on the ship. The couple had snuggled up at the front, switching activities from kissing and contently snuggling up in each other's arms.

Maka made sure Angela stayed busy with her drawings and wouldn't see the heavy make-out sessions Black*Star and Tsubaki would engage in. Her fingers absentmindedly ran through Angela's hair, combing out her tangles.

A sniffle brought back her attention and a tear landed on her painting, of herself as a witch, and now a figure was added. A man with long silver hair and a straw in his mouth. "I promised daddy I wouldn't cry anymore." She sobbed. "I know he wouldn't want me to cry." Maka's hand slid from her hair and landed on her shoulder.

"Crying is a natural process of handling a loss." Gently she rubbed her back and she leaned her head against Maka's ribcage, tucked away under Maka's arm. "You're handling it very well. I know your father would be proud of you."

From across the ship Captain Soul gazed at her with his hands in his pockets. He offered her an encouraging smile toward her as he leaned against the railing.

A smile in return from her, she waved toward her Captain to come over. He cocked his eyebrow questioningly, but he straightened up and headed toward her and Angela.

"Angela." The young girl peered up at her with watery eyes and snot running down her nose. Her Captain came to a stop in front of her, patiently waiting for her to address him. "What do you want to do now? Do you like staying here with us? Or do you wish to return to one of your relatives?"

"Um," She sniffled and rubbed away tears from her cheeks. "I like it here. You are nice." Her small fragile hands tightened on Maka's green jacket. "I don't have any relatives."

Maka slowly nodded and her eyes locked with her Captain's. He nodded at her in return, understanding exactly what Maka had in mind. "Ye're welcome to stay with us, Angela."

"I can?" New tears rose in her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.

Captain Soul nodded and fell down on his knees in front of the young girl. "But unfortunately, ye'll have to stay at an orphanage just for a week or two."

Her eyes widened with horror and she clung onto Maka as if her life depended on it. "No! You can't send me away!"

"We aren't sending you away." Maka reassured and tightened her embrace on the young girl. "We are heading into a situation that can get messy very quickly and we don't wish to put you in harm's way."

"This is for yer best. Ye won't end up hurt." Captain Soul reached for Angela and placed his hand on her head, playfully ruffling her hair. "But for us also. When we're done, we want to return to ye happy and safe."

Angela sobbed heavily and covered her eyes with her tiny hands. "Y-you just want to get rid of me, don't you? I-is it because I p-peed on the railing?"

"No, no, no. Absolutely not."

"It's not like that at all." Captain Soul quickly pitched in. "We don't want ye to end up hurt because we care about ye. We're not going to dump ye at the orphanage. I promise on me title as Captain we'll return for ye."

Angela peeked between her fingers at the man in front of her. "Y-you promise?"

Captain Soul exposed his razor sharp teeth in a wide smirk. "A Captain never goes back on his word!"

A large smile grew on her face and she shot out from Maka's embrace and wrapped her arms around Captain Soul as well as she could. His eyes widened for a split second and gazed at the girl hugging his waist. Slowly he eased and snaked his arms around the small girl's body.

Maka could only sit back and watch Angela bewitch him, worming her way into his heart.

"Guess who's back?!" Liz exclaimed as she wandered up the bridge with her sister right behind her. "And guess who'll have the most delicious wedding cake?" Bridezilla grinned wide as she held the white square box in her hand.

"The lovebirds probably don't hear you." Maka spoke up. "They've been swapping spit the whole time."

"Not a pretty view. Black*Star look like he's going to eat her up." Captain Soul said as he held Angela who'd crawled up onto his lap and hugged him with a dreamy smile on her face. Feeling the conversation was heading toward, Captain Soul covered Angela's ear and pressed her other's to his chest.

"What do you think they would do? _They're married._ "

"And happily too! I made sure Giraffe gave 'em their blessing!" Patty giggled behind her and held a replica of a white box in her hand.

"I don't know." Maka shrugged her shoulders as she gazed at Liz. "Maybe talking about what happened. Maybe playing rock-paper-scissors?"

Captain Soul suddenly burst out laughing loudly.

Liz sighed heavily and massages the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "Maka, Maka, Maka. This's exactly the reason Tsubaki is married, an' you're not."

She glared at her Captain and swatted his knee. Liz playfully poked Maka's shoulder and she gazed toward the laughing Captain and confused girl in his arms. "I feel bad for you, Cap'n." She headed away with her sister in tow. Her Captain quickly silenced and he spluttered out incoherent sounds after the sister pair.

The others quickly returned afterward and Bridezilla was creating wedding madness once again. Maka and Kid were put on cooking duty cooking a large pig and the others prepared makeshift beds on the floor outside the sleeping ward. Everybody had come to agree on that nobody wanted to be stuck in the sleeping ward during their wedding night. Liz and Patty prepared their own beds in the cannon hallway to have a "girl's slumber party" and the guys would get their own time a level above them.

The night was danced away to Sid's horn and Ox's drumming. It ended up with her dancing with the sisters, and then with Tsubaki, somehow Kid ended up trying to teach her linedance, to end it with Captain Soul twirling her around. She wasn't the only one dancing, her heart was skipping beats and her stomach was making summersaults. All she knew was dancing with her Captain was more pleasant than she thought. Especially when he led her so she wouldn't stumble with her dumb two left feet.

Liz giggled loudly with her blanket wrapped around her body. Angela had been put in her bed hours ago and hadn't woken up from the loud music or Liz's laughter. Her laughter echoed throughout the cannon hallway and she slumped down on the floor. "I 'ink I've definitely had too much rum."

"Sissy's seein' giraffes!" Patty lay on the ground sprawled out, missing her shorts and messily her blanket draped over her body. " _I'm_ seein' giraffes."

Both of the sisters had gotten a little too much of the good and Maka was sure both of them would regret it in the morning. Unlike the sisters, Maka had been more focused on dancing than drinking. Especially dancing with her Captain.

Liz sighed with exhaustion and her head rolled to gaze at Maka. "Yah know, you're very lucky."

Maka cocked her eyebrow at the drunken sister sprawled out on the floor.

"The way he looks at you."

"I don't think I'm quite following you."

She snorted and stared up to the ceiling. "Lucky oblivious Maka. Can't recognize love when it's in front of her nose."

"W-what?" She stuttered and tightened her hands on her blanket spread on her thighs. "N-no one loves me."

"See?" Her words were slurred. "Yah so smart. But yet so dumb when it comes to love." She rolled onto her stomach, comically her cheek was pressed together with her rosy lips. "You've snatched his heart an' he's crawling aft yah like a lost puppy an' yah can't see it."

"I don't understand." Her throat suddenly tightened and she stared down at her blanket.

She couldn't be _that_ oblivious. No guy was crawling after her. If someone was, she would notice it, right?

"Cap'n." She sighed heavily and her eyes fluttered closed. "He looks at yah the way Kid could never look at me." Slowly she inhaled tiredly. "Damn he loves yah so much."

"T-the C-Captain?" For some reason, her stomach tightened and her throat ran dry as a desert. "N-no. H-he wouldn't." Her face heated up and she slapped her hand over her cheek in a poor attempt to hide it, but the drunken sister had already caught on it.

"You're the only one―" Patty yawned and her eyes fluttered closed. "―who hasn't noticed." And instantly snores followed.

"E-even if he felt that way about m-me." She swallowed thickly. "It would be highly inappropriate. H-he's _our Captain!_ "

Liz snorted and drunkenly waved her hand. "Bah! He's not care." She sighed heavily and her eyes fluttered closed. "He would never care… Not like Kid… so not Kid…" Her hand pulled her blanket higher up to her chest. "He cares… he cleaned the ship… you out." Liz was out like a light like her sister.

Maka's eyes widened to double their sizes. _He_ was the one who cleaned the rest of the ship when she had passed out. He'd taken it up on himself to finish what she started, and he didn't even tell her. He didn't care about the glory, he only cared about making her job easier for her.

The sisters left Maka with more thoughts. Kim had already told her Captain Soul loved her, but she didn't believe it. Now the sisters came forth and told her the same thing. Could he maybe possibly love her? No. He couldn't. But Kim and the sisters had pointed it out, and they said she was the only one not knowing it. Maybe he did have feelings for her? He _was_ awfully kind to her. Sharing his food and taking care of her when she had passed out. Not to forget he gave her better swords.

What if he held feelings for her, was his feelings mutual?

He _did_ make her feel good.

He _did_ make her feel worthy.

He _did_ make her feel like she mattered and was important to someone.

He looked into her very soul and heart and made her body heat up pleasantly and tingled like bells in the wind. When he was around, she felt calm and safe. He made her feel at ease and she knew he would always have her back just like when the Navy attacked them. She knew her opinion mattered to him because if he'd his way, Angela would be permanently stationed at the orphanage, or her corpse at the ocean floor.

Her eyes fluttered shut and she exhaled loudly. Her hands tightened on her blanket.

Was she romantically invested in her Captain? Did she feel _that_ way toward her Captain? Her heart picked up its pace and hammered against her ribcage at the thought of her Captain. She couldn't help but fiddle with the blanket at the thought of her crimson-eyed Captain. He made her nervous. Good. Confident.

Her eyes snapped open and her hands balled on her blanket.

Oh death. _Oh death!_

She _did_ have feelings for her Captain.


	14. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

The two sailed the sea in their small sailing boat. Their targeted port just within view, Stein gazed toward the sailing ships docked and the small cute little town near the port. They'd searched high and low for Miss Maka Albarn, in every corner of every town, to finally glance at her once again at the ball where they least expected her to be. It wasn't a coincidence her chamber maiden found her bed empty on her 21st birthday. It was no secret to Stein and Marie that the daughter of Kami and Spirit Albarn did not wish to marry. Not when the world was full of adventures to experience.

Being a friend of the Albarn family, more like and uncle than a friend, he was the first one to volunteer to look for her. It was the only reasonable choice. He often attended story-telling time with her grandma, and he knew Maka was fascinated with the idea of her own adventures, certainly with the Gorgon Trio.

"Honey," Marie spoke up as she neared her husband behind the steering wheel. "You think we'll find ship Arachnophobia here?"

Stein gently placed his hand lovingly on top of hers, caressing her smooth hand with her thumb. "Our leads tell us Arachnophobia is docked at Port Demise. If we find them, we find Maka right with the Gorgon Trio."

"But I don't understand, Maka is a very intelligent girl, and Arachnophobia might be one of the better pirate ships… but they still slay and loot people's ships."

"And so does every pirate sailing the seas." Stein snorted and squeezed her hand. "At least we should consider us lucky she isn't with the revolting pirate Captain Soul Eater. He's the scum of the sea. Such a vile monster."

Their ship neared the port and Marie quickly hurried to direct the sailings to reduce their speed. The ship slowly moved toward an empty spot at the harbour, carefully moving into place. Stein jumped of the boat and landed on the harbour. Marie threw him the rope, and tied the ship to the port. As soon as every rope was tied to the port and the sail neatly wrinkled to a branch, Marie and Stein left the ship.

"Do you think Maka is safe?" Marie questioned as she stayed to her husband's side. "What if something happened to her?"

Stein couldn't help but to think back to the event months ago. The male she seemed to be attending the ball with. His unusual red eyes and striking white hair. His quick thinking that led to her escape from their shocked grasp. His eyes gave him away. So much care and protectiveness flared up in his eyes when his eyes caught them. He knew exactly who they were to her and he was keeping her from them. For protection so she could continue her adventures. Or for other reasons. His eyes revealed care for his dear niece he hadn't seen in a very long time, eyes as crimson as of the past.

A small smile spread on his face as he wrapped his arm around his wife's waist. "I have a feeling Maka is in very good hands. Enduring an adventure which will impact the rest of her life."

Yes. The young man he'd seen held the answers of years old questions from the past.

* * *

She couldn't sleep that night. Thoughts of her Captain kept her awake and her discovered feelings. It felt surreal. She liked her Captain. Not simply admiring him, but _like_ -like him. The realization… scared her. She'd been around failed "loves" and she didn't want to become like them. Maka cherished her Captain as a friend and she didn't want to lose it because of urges and temptations.

Besides, he was her Captain. It would be highly unprofessional of them to enter a relationship.

Her heart twigged at the thought of not being with Soul, but she knew it was for the best. She was happy as his friend and Sprog, and she would still be happy.

As much as she tried to discard the thoughts of her Captain and finally move on, she couldn't. She would crinkle all of her thoughts of Soul into a ball and throw it away, just to return like a boomerang and hit her with double its force.

A groan escaped her throat and she covered her eyes with her arm.

She wished Kim and the sisters never said anything about her Captain's alleged feelings. Then she wouldn't have felt like this.

Her feelings toward her Captain brought out another train of thought she'd neglected for months.

What about the Gorgon Trio? When she started her adventure a year ago, her intentions were to join the Gorgon Trio on ship Arachnophobia. She had her chance to bargain with them at the night of the aristocrat ball when they ambushed the others. For months, she hadn't even thought about joining them or even felt the need to want to fight beside them. Shibusen had become her home and every single crewmember was her friend, well, except for Ox. He was very reluctant to socialize with her or the crew in general. Shibusen had become her home and she didn't want to leave them.

She didn't want to leave everybody behind. Black*Star was obnoxious and self-centred, but he was a good friend. Tsubaki was too kind for her own good and Kid too serious, but both of them possessed qualities that made them unique. Patty always brought a smile to her face and Liz was the best girl friend she could've ever asked for. Sid proved to Maka not all fathers were bad and offered everybody fatherly advice. Especially to Black*Star. Punk needed it more than all of them combined.

And Soul. Soul, Soul, Soul, Captain Soul Eater. Hooked her with his care for her and random acts of kindness. He'd snuck up on her and stolen her heart like a thief in the night. Or rather, as a pirate and looted her ship of her heart.

Morning came and shoes clicked on the upper deck, signalling it was morning and time to start making breakfast. Angela woke up all bouncy and well-rested while the sisters groaned with headaches from all the rum they drank. Liz and Patty brought Angela upstairs when Maka retreated inside of the storage room to pack her things for a night sleeping on the ground.

As soon as her things were packed, she for once in a very long time received a quiet moment for her to write in her journal. She retrieved her journal, quill and ink from her backpack and settled down on the mattress pad.

 _Dearest me_

 _What I'm writing is strictly between you and I, no other. I've come to discover the most horrifying fact I could ever imagine. This night I come to terms with my unknown feelings toward my Captain I uncovered. I'm ashamed and embarrassed with myself for feeling this way. I've grown highly inappropriate feelings toward my Captain. I no longer only respect him as my Captain, I cherish him close to my heart. I've developed feelings I could not tame even if I wanted to. I've come to like him more than I should._

 _I know my feelings are highly unprofessional and I do not wish to disturb the balance between professional and friendly, but I can't help but feel as if I want more._

 _When I first joined Shibusen, it was only because I couldn't find Arachnophobia and needed a place to work at, but I think in the end, I've won the lottery. Joining Shibusen was the best that could've ever happen to me. I'm very lucky to know my Captain and all serving aboard Shibusen. I feel like me wanting to pursue the Gorgon Trio was a blessing in disguise. Without them, I would've never found the most amazing crew and found the most amazing Captain._

 _I can't hold back or deny my feelings toward him. I truly unconditionally and ardently like him. With all my heart._

Her quill stopped over the next line. She couldn't have written this. This was blatant and uncensored thoughts direct from her heart. This was too dangerous to keep in her journal. Why did she have to write this down! What if Black*Star got a hold of her diary and used it against her and then her Captain would fire her and she would be heartbroken and would die on the streets and Shinigami himself would be disgusted with her he wouldn't even collect her soul and she would wander forever with the humiliation!

"Sprog?"

"GAAAH!" She jumped in shock at seeing the one main character of her journal entry.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I called for you multiple times and you didn't answer."

She shook her head as she quickly ripped the page from her journal and wrinkled it into a ball of paper. "You don't have to apologize. I should've heard you and you're the Captain so you can go wherever you want whenever you want without the need to knock or even to give me a warning so I'm fine." She inhaled loudly as she shoved the ball of paper into her bag. She'd to get rid of it later.

He raised his eyebrow questioningly. "You sure you're okay?"

"As fine as I can be." She smiled sheepishly toward her Captain as she threw down her things into her bag.

"You should probably go and eat your breakfast. Everybody has already eaten theirs and Angela and I are ready to head out." He spoke up and nodded his head toward the hatchet.

"O-oh! I should. I'm sorry for slowing you down!" Immediately Maka sprinted passed her Captain and jumped on the ladder. Quickly she climbed it and heaved herself up on the upper deck.

"TASTE THIS!"

Maka swirled around only to be faced with blue body hair and spread bare legs. Rapidly the blue-haired monkey swung toward her, his bare crutch smacked into her face. A holler of pain and Maka flying backwards, Black*Star dived into the sea by the port head fist.

She growled loudly and clawed at her face, the feeling of his body part she _definitely did not want to be anywhere close,_ still lingered. "You IDIOT!" Maka exclaimed and hurried over to the railing, foaming with anger.

Black*Star was thankfully covered by the water, withering in pain and his hand disappeared under the water in the direction of his crutch. "Revenge's sweet, ain't it?" He mustered a large smirk of sweet revenge.

Maka snarled like lion and propped her foot on the railing and balled her hands. "You little―" A hand stopped her from leaping into the water and handing his soul to Shinigami on a platter.

"As much as I would want to skin Black*Star," Her Captain said from behind her, "I don't think Angela would appreciate it."

Only the mention of Angela's name and potentially her catching a glimpse of Black*Star's naked state fired her up. He was going to _die!_

A predatory growl escaped her throat and she was ready to bounce.

"Sprog!" Captain Soul called and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her away from the railing.

"He―"

"Wacked ye with me DICK!"

Maka growled loudly and violently flayed her arms and kicked her legs. She was going to rip the monkey's head off.

"Ye're not helping!" Captain Soul shouted and tightened his arms around her waist. "Think 'bout Angela, she's watching ye right now."

Her flaming anger was quenched. Her head slowly turned toward her left and there she saw small and innocent Angela standing in front of Tsubaki with her hand gently placed on her shoulder.

"Oh no…" She whispered.

"Ye can have at it when Angela isn't around. I'll help ye." Captain Soul relaxed his grip on her and soothingly his thumb rubbed her rib.

Only then she realized, she was wrapped in his arms, him hugging her from the behind and his head resting on her shoulder. His salty and warm smell tickled her nose, producing her stomach to flutter delightfully. How wonderful would it be if she could stay in his arms?

"Thank you." Reluctantly she separated herself from his arms and turned on her heel. Eyes locked. "You could help me plan my revenge on him."

"Now go an' eat breakfast. It's going to be a long walk to the orphanage."

She gave him a quick smile before she headed toward the bonfire.

After breakfast, Angela said her "see you soons" and some tears were shed from Tsubaki and Liz. Both of them knew they were going to see the girl, but even for Maka watching the young girl hugging the pirates, her own eyes teared up. Angela had grown on them so much only in a few days and being apart from her, only for a couple of weeks, it was saddening.

They waved toward the crew before they walked away. Maka went beside Anglea, holding her hand as Captain Soul held a map of the area with a circle around the location of the orphanage Liz had drew on.

They reached the edge of the small village at the port and were met with forests and meadows. Angela would happily run around, exploring flowers and catching butterflies. Then she would be piggyback-riding on Captain Soul's back and he would make horse sounds, her laughter filling the air. She couldn't help but to feel touched at his devotion toward her. It was as if… _they_ were her parents. That meant…―

"The orphanage is just up ahead."

With only one sentence, the atmosphere shifted from fun and playful to serious and heavy. Angela's laughter came to an abrupt ending and the smile on Captain Soul's face was wiped off at the view of the brown house at the end of the road. Her heart dropped to the floor and Captain Soul was equally sad. Silently they went toward the small house and children's laughter was heard from within the house. Angela's lower lips stuck out and she clung onto Captain Soul's back as he knocked on the wooden door.

Instantly the laughter ended and curious "who is it?" and "are we having visitors?" echoed from within the house. Children's heads popped up in the window and peered at them at the same time the door creaked open.

"Hello." An older woman with grey hair in a bun greeted them. "Can I help you?"

"Yes you can." Maka spoke up and comfortingly placed her hand on Angela's back. "We're heading toward a very dangerous place and we don't wish Angela to get harmed. Could you please take care of her for a couple of weeks?"

"I'll pay you well." Captain Soul pitched in.

"How thoughtful of you two." The old lady neared Angela and smiled toward her. "To push your own feelings aside for the safety of your child."

Spit went down the wrong pipe and Maka coughed in shock. "Um, we're not― she's not―"

"We're not her biological parents." Captain Soul carefully kneeled and let Angela climb off his back reluctantly. Instantly she lashed onto Maka's leg and watched Captain Soul lean toward the lady, whispering something into her ear.

The older lady nodded seemingly understanding and smiled toward him when he pulled away. "I would be more than happy to take care of her for you two. With or without payment."

"Thank you very much." Maka quickly said and placed her hand on Angela's head, soothingly running her fingers through her brown hair. "She's a very sweet girl. She won't cause trouble."

Angela tilted her head and her deep brown eyes stared into hers with teary eyes. "M-Maka…"

Her heart painfully wrenched and immediately she fell on her knees and collected the young child in her arms. "We will return." Maka whispered into her ear as she hugged her as if it was she that would be left behind. "It will be like we never left."

Captain Soul fished up a small leather bag filled with golden coins from his jacket. The old lady grimaced as she accepted his payment, thanking him and curtsied.

"I'm still going to miss you." She sniffled. "What if I dream about daddy? Who will be there to comfort me?"

"I will always be there. Even when we're apart." Maka pulled away and cupped her cheek. Gently she poked above her heart. "I'll always be right there. In your memories."

"Y-you will?" A tear leaked from her eyes and Maka was quick to wipe it away.

"Always."

Angela jumped into her arms and she burst out crying. Tears of her own welled in her eyes and she squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the liquid down. She wasn't going to show her tears to Angela. Maka needed to be strong. For them both.

Even though as much as she tried to hold back her feelings, a stray tear left her eye and slid down her rosy cheeks. Only a moment later, to be caught by Soul's hand.

They left Angela in the care of the old lady. Maka hated every step she took away from the girl, hearing her sobs and sniffles broke her heart. But she knew this was for the best. She could never forgive herself if something happened to her. This wasn't permanent. This was only for a couple of weeks. Only enough for them to sail to Island of Lost Souls and back. Then she would never let Angela out of her sight.

"I know how you're feeling." Her Captain spoke up after a long time of simply walking away from the orphanage in silence. "Maybe not fully, but a little."

She turned toward her Captain with her balled hands at her side. "Y-you do?"

"Yeah. You're not the only one who connected with her. She brought so much joy and liveliness to the crew. I haven't seen everybody so happy in a long time." The back of his hand gently brushed against hers. His warmth instantly was inserted into her body and she found herself being able to relax. "I'm very happy you saved her. Even if it was very foolish of you."

"I only did what was right. I know if I was in danger, I would've wanted someone to come to my aid."

"You can always count on me." Her throat tightened and she didn't dare to look into his eyes, fear of what she would see. Would he look at her like Black*Star secretly gazed at Tsubaki with love and passion, or with protectiveness of a Captain. Either way, it would end badly.

"And I'll always have your back, Captain."

"Sprog." Suddenly she went into a warm wall of salt and leather. Maka repelled from her Captain and met his endlessly deep crimson eyes. "You know you don't need to address me so formally when it's only us. Haven't I made it clear earlier?"

"Yes." But Captain, it was to distance herself from him because she could not take her growing feelings for him. "Old habits die hard."

"I suppose." His eyes were torn from hers and he stared off toward the slowly setting sun at the horizon. "We should end today's walk. We need to start a fire before it gets dark."

"We should also move a little inside of the forest away from the road. You never know what kind of people we could attract."

"Good call."

They found a good spot only a couple of yards into the forest. There they separated. Maka collected branches from the ground as her Captain prepared for the campfire by collecting stones to create a circle. When Maka returned her Captain was already done and started a fire with the help of the branches she found. When the sky turned to a dark blue and the forest's darkness crept closer to them, only the campfire kept the blackness from devouring them.

For once, Maka didn't have to cook for her Captain, instead he took it upon himself to heat the metal cans over the campfire and seasoned it with a few herbs Tsubaki had given him.

Maka sat on the ground watching her Captain break the herbs and with care sprinkle them over the two open tomato soup cans. His tongue stuck out from his lips and complete focus on the dinner over the fire. It was an intriguing view. It wasn't often she witnessed her Captain cooking.

Quickly he grabbed the metal can with the help of his sleeve and placed it on the ground, exhaling hotly. "Can's hotter than I thought." And he grabbed the other one just as quickly and placed it next to the other.

"What did you expect? Cold as ice?"

"Nah. Maybe more like Arctic."

She rolled her eyes as her Captain slid down next to her, crossing his legs. "You're impossible."

"Not as much as you." He nudged her thigh with his knee. "Remember, a whip and Ox?"

"What was I supposed to do?" She playfully elbowed his arm. "I couldn't simply stand back and watch you hurt him. It's cruel."

"It is." He turned to fully face her, the fires flickering flames brought out the endlessly deep crimson in his eyes. "And I'm very happy you got me to stop and made me realize my flaws."

"So you finally came to terms with your fears?"

He nodded. "Yeah. It scared me shitless when you pointed out about my fears and insecurities. Heck. It even made me more scared. I thought if you knew, who else knew about it?"

"No one. I was the first one. No one dared to talk badly about you because of the fear of getting in trouble."

"I see." He paused, tapping his index finger against the metal. Instantly he retrieved his hand. Can still too warm. "I'm actually happy you saw through me."

Maka cocked her eyebrow questioningly. "You are?"

"Yeah. You gave me the courage to face my fears and showed me how to become a true Captain. When you were willing to take a bullet for Ox and the others rallied behind you, it scared me to the core. I don't know what I would've done if you didn't come forth and support me."

"I still don't quite get it." Maka gazed at her Captain. "Why would you want to control your crew with fear?"

"Why? It's easy." His hands balled and fisted his pants. "It's because when I was a sprog at Shibusen, it was the crew who got my Captain killed."

Her heart stopped in her chest. Her eyes widen to the size of carriage wheels as she stared at her Captain with utter disbelief.

"I was homeless. I was all alone on the streets starving. I stole food and pickpocketed money for a living. But it wasn't enough. I was starving and one day I was exhausted and hunger weighted me down. I thought I was going to die." He paused. "But then my Captain, Tezca Tlipoca came and took me in on Shibusen."

"You actually served on Shibusen?" Maka asked with utter shock. She'd never realized she knew nothing of her Captain's past. How he got Shibusen was a mystery to her.

"Yes. I was a sprog on the ship. Tezca was a fine man with a kind heart. He was very close with the crew and every night, he would always sit by the bonfire and tell jokes. The crew loved him. And so did I. He taught me everything. How to sail. Fight with swords. Read maps. Everything. He was like the father I never had." His sharp tooth sunk down in his lower. Eyes dived to the grass.

"If this is painful to you, I don't wish for you to push yourself."

"I _want_ you to know this about me." He spoke up with such strength. Eyes returning to her. "I've never told this story to anyone. Not even Black*Star. You're the closest friend I have. I want you to know."

Maka silenced and let her Captain continue his story.

"I lived on the ship. I grew to love the sea. I loved the new life I'd acquired. Sailing with Tezca was an honour. He showed me how to live my life and it felt like for the first time, I got to experience what parental love was." His jaw tightened and instinctively, Maka reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, showing her support and hopefully gave him strength. "When I was eighteen. Arachnophobia attacked. We'd always been feuding with them and it always ended with one of us retreating. But this time, Asura ended up disarming Tezca and got his head in a headlock."

Her grip on his shoulder tightened and she drew soothing circles.

"His crew only stared. Cowardly stood on the side-lines and watched Asura cut his head off. The crew Tezca loved only stared at him as he was murdered. He gave his all to them and what did he get in return? A knife in the back and his head missing."

"I'm sorry." She spoke up. Her arm snaked around his shoulders and brought him in for a half-embrace. "It must've hurt."

"It did. We escaped Asura merely. I was so blinded with anger I couldn't see straight. I only knew they were going to pay for it." His eyes turned a dark and cold. Eyes she was very well familiar with from her early days on his ship. "As soon as we were close enough to the first port. I drew my sword and turned on the crew."

Maka gasped and her fingers dug into his shoulder. "You didn't…?"

"Oh yes I did. I killed every single one of those fuckers and threw them to Shinigami. From that day, I promised myself I would never trust anybody again. I wouldn't let anyone stab me in the back like Tezca's crew did to him."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Black*Star was _right_. He did kill his own crew just to replace them with new ones. At the time, she truly considered him a monster. She witnessed him beat Ox and control his crew with fear, but never did she believe he could actually kill his own crew.

"What you fear, you create." The words left her lips in a quiet whisper.

"Exactly. That's why I was scared shitless when everybody ganged up on me and supported you." He laid his hand on Maka's hand and calmly gave it a squeeze. Her eyes fluttered shut and her tooth sunk into her lower lip. "I thought history would repeat itself."

She didn't know what to say. What he feared most of all had been on the verge of becoming his reality. She witnessed him kill people. Abuse his crew. Now he was good. He acknowledged his mistakes and he was doing good.

But she could never forget what he'd done. Even though her feelings for him were strong. She could forgive what he'd done to her, but she could never forget. His cold and sadistic eyes as he whipped her and his growls of anger. They were burned into her memory for life.

So was also the good. The kind gestures. His small cute smiles. He'd changed and he became a better man she could be proud of calling her Captain. When she sacrificed her own meals for Angela, he stepped up for her and cleaned the deck and gave her his portion of the food. He brought out feelings she'd only experienced sparks of years ago. Those good moments are what she wants to remember the most, not the bad.

"And I hope it will never. There is no way I could forgive you if you went berserk on the others."

His eyes snapped toward hers, wide with shock and his hand tightened on hers. "I would never!" He bellowed with raw sincerity in his voice. "I would never hurt you. Or the others. I would rather go in my Captain's footsteps and get my head chopped off than hurting any of you." His hand tightened on hers and he stared into her eyes with desperation. "You believe me right?"

She paused, took everything into consideration. "I believe you." And she wanted to. She desperately wanted to.

Visibly he sighed with relief and his grip on her hand softened. "Thank death." He leaned onto her and rested his forehead on her skull. Surprise hit her and instantly her face turned red. "You know, your opinion on me is the one that matters the most."

"I-I think the cans have cooled by now!" She quickly stuttered and moved away from her Captain. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving!" A nervous smile stretched on her face and her Captain stared at her with confusion at her sudden outburst. He didn't bother asking about it, instead he took both of the cool cans and passed the other to Maka.

It was too close for her liking. She possessed unappropriated feelings for her Captain and exposing those feelings would be highly inappropriate.

The tension vanished as they ate their dinner. They exchanged jokes and laughter and when it was time for them to go to bed, Maka opened her bag only to find her sleeping bag missing. Instead at the bottom of it laid a note.

 _"_ _Get yah man!"_ Under the words were a giraffe and a picture of what was supposed to be Liz, the figure possessed far too long blond hair to be the other sister.

Maka could only growl and crinkle the paper in her hand. "You'll pay."

"What did you say?"

"O-oh!" Maka spun around and found her Captain had already unrolled his sleeping bag and had it resting on the ground on the other side of the fire. "I-I forgot to pack my sleeping bag." A hopefully genuine smile spread on her face as she threw the note into the fire. No way would she allow her Captain to read it.

He cocked his eyebrow, eyes darting questioningly toward the burning paper in the fire to return to her nervous posture. "You know you're a terrible liar?"

"What? I-I don't see any liar here!" Maka grabbed her bag and quickly lay on the ground, using her bag as she usually did, as a pillow. "Okay! Good night! Sweet dreams! I'll see you in the morning!"

"Wait." She gulped as she hesitantly cracked her eye open. "You're going to freeze if you sleep on the ground."

"But you―"

"That's not what I mean." He sighed, taking off his hat and ran his hand through his hair. "Sprog, my sleeping bag is big enough for both of us. You won't freeze to death and I won't have to lay awake seeing you shiver."

"B-but Soul! It would be highly unappropriated!"

"Sprog." He silenced her and once again, his eyes were impossible soft. The pleasant feeling of butterflies in her stomach returned and slowly the familiar warmth spread in her body to every tip of her fingers and her toes. Only he could make her feel so safe. "Come over here."

"O-okay." She squeaked out embarrassingly. Stiffly she stood up and went over to her Captain as he took off his boots and crawled into the sleeping bag. Invitingly he left the edge of the sleeping bag folded. "H-here I come." Her throat ran dry as she took off her boots.

"Relax. I'm not going to bite you."

She rolled her eyes. Great. He picked up on her nervousness. Now it only made her more nervous knowing he could read her like an open book.

Her upper lip twitched as she hesitantly slid into the sleeping bag right next to her Captain.

She decided he was also a terrible liar. The sleeping bag was not big. At all. As much as she tried to keep some space between them, the prison of a sleeping bag kept her from escaping her Captain's warm and muscular chest and his hot breath on her neck and―

"Good night."

Oh dear. That was his lips feathering against the shell of her ear.

It was going to be a looooooong night.

* * *

"I don't think we will find Maka out here." Stein spoke to his wife as they strolled down the crowded harbour of drunken sailors singing to the heavens.

Marie turned to her husband and cocked her eyebrow questioningly. "Why do you think that?"

"Maka isn't the kind of woman to be associating with drunken sailors. Wouldn't she be sleeping by now?"

"Stein, Stein, Stein." She sighed as she placed her palm on his shoulder. "She ran away looking for an adventure. Do you think she would be sleeping if she had the chance to associate with sailors and celebrate with them?"

"Maka isn't that kind of woman—"

"But she _is_ daughter of Spirit and Kami Albarn."

Stein silent and his lips stiffened. "Let's continue searching then."

A bright smile lit on her face and she nodded with determination. "Right!"

They continued their search. Stein would enter the bars and pubs, showing her picture to various customers and staff, asking if they'd seen her while Marie would put up "missing" posters of Maka on the walls in a hope of gaining a clue where Maka was. The previous clue they'd received of her hiding was the quick glimpse they'd gotten at the ball of engagement. They knew, finding who the man she was with would lead them to her. Only a handful of people could possess hair as white as newly fallen snow and eyes as red as newly spilled blood. All they had to was to find the right person who knew about the man or Maka.

Marie retrieved a poster from her messenger bag, a small bucket of glue and a painting brush. She placed the can on the ground and removed the lid. Only dipping the tip of the brush, she drew an X on the wall and placed the poster on it. Her hands ran over the paper, pressing it and stroked it in order to make sure it would stay on the wall.

Maka's beautiful face stared back at her with her beaming smile and the sparkle in her eyes. How she'd missed her.

A sigh of sorrow escaped and she disappeared inside of the bar to find her husband.

The bar was crowded. Marie pushed through a sea of drunkenly singing sailors with their arms wrapped each other, bumping into women and sailors seated at tables flirting. Quickly her eyes found her husband's grey hair, standing at a table with the missing poster in his hand. Her hopes lifted at the sailor seated at the table as he rubbed his chin, thinking as he stared at the poster.

Instantly she pushed herself toward her husband and she was within earshot of what the man said.

"She seems familiar…" He rubbed his stubby jaw and his eyes narrowed. "I think I've seen her before."

"Y-you have?!" She slammed her palms onto the table. "Where?! Is she safe?! Is she―"

"Wow, slow down yer horses." The man raised his hands in defence. "I know I've seen that face before… and her name does ring a bell…" His _'NO FUTURE'_ tattoo above his eyebrow crinkled slightly. "But I should remember her if she was an aristocrat. It's not often ye run into those. An' ye know, they stick out from the crowd."

"Yes but when have you seen her?!" Marie slammed her fists on the table. The beer glass on the table to bounce and almost spill it over the surface. "You got to remember! Maka is very precious and she needs her loved ones!"

"Marie." Stein placed his hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. Yelling won't take you anywhere."

She whirled around with teary eyes. "We don't know if she's alive or dead! She could be in need or our help and…"

A table away, a woman with hair as dark as the night sky and skin as pale as clouds, locked her eyes at the poster in the man's hand. The aristocrat woman did indeed shake her memory. She'd seen those eyes before. The posture of a privileged woman and most important, she remembered the name of the woman from his letters, constantly informing them on the situation aboard Shibusen.

"Medusa. Shaula." Arachne spoke up as she raised her wineglass, swirling the content slowly. "It seems we are in quite a luck."

Shaula cocked her eyebrow at her sister before following the direction of her eyes. "What? A missing aristocrat girl. Can't see why a mere girl is a luck to us."

"Idiot." Medusa murmured as a wide grin spread on her face. "Is that who I think it is…?"

Arachne took a sip of her wine before she placed it down on the table. "Sisters." She licked her lips as a smirk grew on her face. "I think this is the perfect opportunity to get rid of our friend Eater's most precious fighter."

The sisters smirked wide toward Arachne as they rose from their chairs, catching the attention of the stranger with grey hair. Immediately the woman's face brightened at the mention they'd seen the woman. Excitingly they took a seat by their table as the failure of a pirate Captain stared at them with fear vibrating in his brown eyes.

* * *

Torture. That was what she was labelling the night. Beautiful and terrible torture. Sometime during the night, he'd nuzzled close to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and cuddling his face against her neck. As much as she wanted to give in, turn around and cuddle close to his chest, in the position they found themselves already in screamed inappropriate. Maybe if they had a "do not cross" taped in between them, _maybe_ then she could face him.

When he woke up, she could definitely _not_ face him. Quickly she scrambled out of the sleeping bag and made excuses that they could eat their breakfast on the road.

There was no doubt in her mind he didn't catch her flaming red face.

They went back. Maka walking slightly faster than her Captain. He kept calling her to slow down, but how could she when they'd shared a sleeping bag! Especially when she couldn't forget how close to her he'd been and how dangerously muscular his chest was and her burning attraction toward her Captain. Never before had she felt her stomach burn as much as it did and desire to crush her lips against his was constantly at the very front of her mind.

What a humiliation! She was never taught about the burning attraction and how to coop with it.

They arrived not a second too early and Maka was relieved to see Black*Star's goofy face instead of being haunted by her Captain's curious crimson eyes. Seeing the knowing grins of the Thompson sisters, she shot a glare at them and Liz knowingly gave her a thumb up and worded "You're welcome" at her.

She was definitely putting them on her list of revenges.

Maka couldn't help but feel her Captain's eyes on her back as she greeted her fellow shipmates with hugs. There was no escaping the pleasant warmth it brought her. In fact, his eyes stayed on her. Often she caught him gazing at her and it made her stomach perform cartwheel.

Kilik brought up the idea of one night out in the pubs to have one fun night before they would sail the dangerous sea to Island of Lost Souls. There was no guaranteeing everybody would return alive, and who were to stop them from having one fun night?

But she didn't know how she ended up strolling down the harbour beside her Captain behind the crew.

"I bet five golden coins Kilik came up with the idea just to get drunk." He leaned toward her and his lips brushed the shell of her ear as he whispered.

She was one-hundred percent convinced he was going to be the death of her.

"Deal." She crossed her arms over her chest. They continued to stroll down the harbour to Black*Star's hoots and fist pumps. This wasn't a big deal. Many Captains leaned close to their crewmembers. Big deal. Nothing inappropriate here. "It's too bad Ox didn't want to tag along."

"I'm not surprised. He's always been kind of a lone wolf." He shoved his hands in his pockets. "He's probably reading one of his nerdy books or cuddling with Royal Thunder. If he hasn't gone missing. Again."

A soft giggle escaped her. "Yes. He can't seem to keep track of his pet."

"Agreed―"

"HEY! LOOK!" Black*Star shouted as he pointed toward a wooden wall. "LOOK! LOOK EVERYBODY!" The whole crew came to a stop and turned to what had caught Black*Star's attention.

Maka cocked her eyebrow as her and Soul went a little faster to join up with them.

"Doesn't she look a little like my favourite follower?"

Her heart sunk in her chest as her eyes settled on a missing poster. Of her. Smiling kindly toward them with her hands elegantly crossed in front of her like her mother always nagged about.

"It does look a little bit like her." Liz spoke as she rested her elbow on Black*Star's head and he snarled and waved his arms at the woman.

"Yeah! All feminine and lady-like!" The other sister exclaimed cheerfully.

Her heart raced in her chest, pounding violently into her ribcage and her sweat production was at its peak. "No!" She yelled and massaged the back of her head. "She looks nothing like me at all!" Quickly Maka snuck up to the poster and covered it with her small frame. Hopefully they wouldn't have caught sight of the similarity of the names.

"You do have a very elegant and graceful posture." Tsubaki pointed out.

Her mouth opened and closed in an attempt at finding words, only creating weird sounds of A's and O's. Sweat ran down on her forehead. She thought she'd covered up her aristocrat posture with her leisure crocked back and stance. She was very wrong.

"She doesn't." Everybody's eyes snapped toward her Captain, standing a little away from the group. "She's a total babe on the poster. Sprog's a scrawny chick with a bony ass. Sprog could never even touch her hotness."

If he only knew.

"Bah! Nothing special with a landlubber aristocrat. Girl got nothing compared to me Goddess!" Black*Star pumped his fist in the air.

"Y-yes! Now how about we continue heading toward the bar! I bet everybody want to get something to drink?" She laughed nervously as she tightened her grip on her neck.

"Yeah man! The rum is calling for me!" Kilik hooted and wrapped his arm around Liz's shoulders. "Let's get wasted!"

A surprising smile spread on Liz's face and she and Kilik hooted loudly, leading the group toward the chosen pub. The others joined after them and Captain Soul ended up beside her.

"You coming?"

"Um, yeah." She flipped her thumb toward the way they'd come from. "I think I might have― um, you know― maybe forgotten to―"

"I get it, Sprog." He flashed his wide grin. "I'll walk slowly. You catch up, right? We're heading to a special pub. Don't want you to get left behind."

Her mouth hung ajar as she stared at her Captain. No questions. Nothing. He simply turned on his heel and slowly started to follow his crew.

Quickly she tore down the post from the wooden wall, making sure to shred the description and her face so no more curious sailors would put the information on their minds. With Marie and Stein already putting up posters of her in the small harbour town, it was dangerous to wander around on the streets. Her crew saw similarities, someone else could do the same and she would be royally screwed. It only takes one person to recognize her and her cover will be blown, ending her adventure aboard Shibusen in an instant.

She wasn't ready to leave. They were too close to finding Oni's Treasure for her to give up and return to her aristocrat life.

Maka threw the shredded poster into the sea, only leaving behind the dried glue shaped as an X on the wall. The sky growled loudly and dark clouds moved closer to the small town. Lightning would light up the sky with its presence. They bettered hurry up before they got caught in the rain.

Her Captain hadn't gotten far, only a couple of seconds of running and she'd caught up with him. He led her to a strange place. They caught up with the group outside of what looked like shoe store to her confusion. After entering it and a password later, the cashier opened up a door at the back, revealing a bar. It was packed with what appeared to first be sailors, but their mashed up and messily repaired attires gave them away. The bar was full with pirates. Armed pirates.

One thing Maka was one-hundred percent sure was a mash of sailors serving on different ships and adding alcohol and rivalry, someone was going to end up killed. Fights were unavoidable. Women with dresses tied up, exposing their flesh clung to pirates' waists or arms. The only conclusion she could come to was these women were looking for transference.

If they stayed quiet and blended in with the crowd, not causing any trouble, they could stay out of f―

"YO UNDERLINGS! YER GOD HAS ARRIVED!"

She slapped her face at Black*Star's idiotic entering. It seemed like Tsubaki would most likely end up as a widow.

An arm snaked around her shoulders. Instantly she was ready to slap the arm from her shoulders, only to see it was her Captain's and not a creepy drunken pirate trying to make a move on her. "How about we take a booth?"

She nodded eagerly, far too uncomfortable with the drunken setting she found herself in. "Please."

He brought her closer to him― almost protectively― as they pushed through a cortex of dancing, intoxicated pirates vigorously making out with paid women. Her nose wrinkled in disgust at how the women could engage in such activities without being married.

Then again, she'd experienced the burning feeling in her lower stomach, the desire to smash her lips with her Captain's in a highly inappropriate act. She was a hypocrite.

At the very back of the pub, they found an empty booth a little secluded from the crazy mob at the bar. At least they wouldn't have the butts of the pirates and the women rubbed at their heads.

Maka slid on the damaged brown leather of the booth, catching sight of red stains she knew was blood.

Her Captain leaned over the couch and spoke into her ear. "I'll go and grab something to drink. Do you want anything in particular?"

"Yes. If they have wine from France I would love it!"

Her Captain cocked his eyebrow questioningly at her.

"Or I could just have what you're having." A sheepish smile grew on her face as she massaged her neck.

"Got it." He turned on his heel and dived into the mob, heading toward the bar.

She sighed with relief. What was she thinking? As if a mere pirate bar would have fine wine she drunk in her aristocrat home. First the poster and now her order of drink. She could as well put a sign over her head saying "Hi everyone! I'm Maka Albarn! Daughter of Spirit Albarn and Kami Albarn! I've aristocrat blood running through my veins! Who wants to get the bounty?" With cowbells and stark paint attracting everybody's attention.

Even after sailing the seas with the crew aboard Shibusen couldn't suppress her aristocrat origins.

Every citizen living in the town had probably seen the poster of her. Being out in the public was very risky, she shouldn't be here. She would rather continue her adventures than risking being unveiled. Never had she been quite a drinker. She might as well go back and hang out with Ox. Maybe she could finally burry the battle axes―

"Here you go." Captain Soul said as he placed two large glasses with golden liquid with sizzling white foam on the top. "They didn't have any wine. I hope this will do."

"Thank you." Her eyes widened slightly as he slid onto the same couch as hers, his thigh bumping into hers. "Um― I'm sure it will be great." She was very sure, with certainty that she'd seen women of transaction drinking wine. Had her Captain lied to her? Or they could've simply run out of it. Drinks aren't limitless. Sometime their wine collection had to run empty. Right?

"So Sprog," he caught her attention, taking a large swig of his drink. She was entranced with his throat bobbing. She found her mouth running dry at the view of her Captain's tongue licking the foam from his upper lip. His mouth formed into shapes and she couldn't help but to blatantly stare. Her body fired up and― it was unappropriated. It had to stop. She had to cool down. Now.

She brought the mouth of the glass to her own, taking large gulps of the bitter drink. She wanted to gag. The liquid tasted bitter and nothing like the smoky strong wine she preferred. All she knew was the beer was cool and it soothed down the building heat.

"Sprog?" Captain Soul looked at her with worry. "I think you should slow down―"

She gasped loudly for air, slamming down the empty beer glass on the table. "Another one!"

What was she supposed to do? His nearness caused her to flame up like an inferno. His worry made her flames rage and the hunger she'd tried to suppress go haywire. No. She wasn't going to let the sinful desires to take control of her and eradicate the relationship between her and her Captain.

More drinks came and they helped her cool down. Her mind grew fuzzier and so did her heart. Instead of fighting her Captain's closeness to her, she found herself leaning toward him, thighs and shoulders pressing.

Maka took a large gulp of the disgusting golden beverage and rested her head on her Captain's shoulder. "Wh-hy dn't weeee've flowersh?" She nuzzled her face into her Captain's neck. So cosy and warm and smooth.

He chuckled as he rested his head against hers. "Dn't know. You so drunk." He inhaled loudly her scent. Salty like the sea and delightful as wind for the sails. "We should go. You too drunk."

She whined and wrapped her arms around her Captain's waist, trapping him against her. "Wanna stay. Yur too coshy Mr. snuggles."

"Fuck, Sprog." He grabbed a hold of her shoulders and tried to pry her off, but Maka was stronger than he gave her credit for, even when she was drunk. "We need to go."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No, poopyfashe."

"Poopyface? Seriously?"

She stuck out her tongue playfully as she snuggled closer to him. "Wh-hy yu sooo waaaarm?" She sighed with content to her Captain's worry. "Yu're alwaysh sooooo waaarm."

"Sprog, you're not thinking straight." His own arms snaked around the drunken woman in his arms. A content smile spread on Maka's face.

"'m thinking clearer… 'en eveeer!" Her eyes fluttered closed and she rejoiced in the sensation of warm emitting from her Captain and the fluttery heart of hers. "'ow dn't think 'bout duties or privilegeshesh. 'ow jusht Maka. No 'lbarn."

"I dn't 'stand."

"Stupid 'ristocrats! 'm not Maka 'lbarn more. 'm just Maka."

" _You're_ Maka Albarn, the missing aristocrat woman?" He spoke with shock into her ear.

The fuzzy state of her mind seemed to clear instantly and she saw what exactly she'd said. Instead of someone else finding out her identity, she'd given it out recklessly to her Captain.

"'h sshot!" She slurred, retrieving her arms from him and stood up on steady feet. "'ve gotta shedaddle!"

"Sprog, shit, get down from 'here!"

"'thing to worry 'bout!" Maka climbed up on the table and clumsily jumped off the table, escaping the booth and her Captain's supporting hands. She swung her hands up in the air. "'m fine! See yu lather!" She bolted. Stumbled her way toward the crowd of singing drunken men. Walking with two left feet caused her to stumble into pirates and ladies, leaving a trace of pirates yelling in anger. Maka bumped into the exit and gunshots were fired and fists were flying. She stumbled out to the rain pouring and lightning brightening the sky.

Or should she be running in the opposite direction? Her Captain had seen the poster, he knew he could receive a large bounty if he turned her in. The thought poisoned her mind and left a sour taste in her mouth. Or it could've been the alcohol.

She ran toward the ship in need to collect her things before she disappeared from the ship. Her feet got entangled and her face hit the soaked ground. Her hat got knocked off and she scrabbled onto her feet as she sprinted toward the ship. The rain soaked her hair and stuck to her neck and shoulders.

"Maka!" Her Captain yelled over the sound of the lightning illumination the dark sky. She whipped her head around seeing him running after her.

Her breath was fast as she forced herself to run faster, pumping her arms at her sides as she focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

"Maka!" He repeated again and lightning struck, down in the sea just outside of the port. "It's dangerous!"

She continued to run. He couldn't stop her. As much as the memory of his intoxicating warmth and his smell wanted her to stop and surrender, it wasn't an option. She still had far too much she wanted to experience. With or without Captain Soul.

His boots hitting against the cobble stone grew louder and louder and his fast breaths sounded as if they were against her ear. Shibusen grew larger and larger in the distance, only a hand on her wrist made her come to a shrieking halt.

"Let of me!" She yelled and pulled at her hand, his grip strong on her. "Pwease don't turn me in! 'll be gone! Just guive me two sec―"

"Listen to me. I'm not gonna do anything." He spoke calmly as he grabbed a hold of her shoulder, soothingly massaging her flesh with his thumb.

"Y-you not?" She stopped trashing and stared at her Captain with wide green eyes.

"No." He released her wrist and place it on her other shoulder. The rain was pouring down and cooling her body, but his hands on her made her feel like she was seated in front of a fire. His face grew larger as he neared her and his hands wandered up to cup her soaked cheeks, leaving a trail of heat behind. His crimson eyes half-lidded and long white lashes she could almost feel against her skin. "I know."

The space between them became non-existent and his lips locked with hers. Her eyes widened, watching her Captain's flutter shut. His warm lips heated her body up like she'd never experienced before. Warmth engulfed her and she found herself relaxing. Eyes shutting, she leaned into him and kissed him gently back. Lips tainted with the bitter taste of beer and his smell of fresh salt and leather made up for it. Her fingers traced his wet shirt and disappeared inside of his jacket, pulling him closer to her body. Her eager mouth slanted against his as he tried to keep up with him.

She was _finally_ kissing him. Her feelings were reciprocated. Everybody was right about him. He did like her.

She did not care it was her Captain.

"Hey! Are ye going to get on or not?"

They flew apart from each other, finding Ox leaning against the ship's railing. "Yeah. Lower the bridge, will ye!" Soul exclaimed and as quickly as their moment was ruined, it was rekindled as soon as her Captain's eyes locked with hers. His lips swollen and her own pulsing as a reminder of what had taken place.

"Maka." He took her hands in his and the space between them narrowed. A large goofy grin spread on her face at the mention of her name. He'd never called her by her name before. "There is something I have to tell you." He squeezed her hands. "I've also been hiding my true identity. My real name is Solomon Evans."


	15. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Beach! Beach! Beach!" Maka chanted happily, pumping her fist in the air.

"Now, now, Maka." Her Grandma picked up a basked full with extra clothing, a blanket, a towel and her mouth-watering apple pie. "The beach is not going anywhere."

She pouted as she impatiently stomped her feet repeatedly at her Grandma's slow pace. "But grandma~"

"Slow and steady wins the race, darling."

"Grandma~"

"We are soon there."

The beach neared awfully slowly to her liking. The sand came into her view and the majestic deep blue sea glistered amazingly. The seven year old Maka's eyes glistered with joy. "Yay! Beach!" She ran. Her Grandma giggled as she ran toward the beach. Her naked feet hit the sand and her large grin turned into a perplexed look.

Her eyes lay upon two children. One was about her age seated in the water with a pout on his face while the other, taller boy a couple of years older than her snickered at him.

"I hate the sea." The younger child whined toward the older one. "Why could I not stay in my room?"

The older one rolled his eyes at the younger one and shoved his hands in his pockets. "You have already stayed inside of your room for too long. It is not healthy."

Maka's eyes fluttered at the two when her Grandma joined beside her. "Grandma, who are those?"

"Hmm" she fixed her glasses on her nose as she gazed at the two. "White hair… red eyes… it seems to be the young brothers from the Evans family. The Evans family bought the mansion a couple of yards away. I have heard they are famous musicians from a large city."

"Ohhh," she redirected her eyes back at the boy in the water, arms crossed and shivering with a large scowl on his face. She'd never seen anyone with similar looks like him. Pale hair as sugar and eyes a deep red. She hadn't been in contact with many children before, but she'd never come across a boy like him.

"Why don't you go and greet him?"

Her eyes widened and she stared with horror in her eyes at her Grandma. "Me?!"

She laughed heartily. A laughter that always reminded her of delicious apple pies, cinnamon and warm hugs. "Of course you. You will be neighbours and would it not be lovely to have a playmate?"

Her cheeks blossomed with embarrassment and she nervously fiddled with the hem of her sleeves. "Yes… but…"

"Simply go up to him and be that wonderful smart and beautiful child I know you are."

A smile slowly stretched on her face and she nodded. "Yes."

"Good. Now give me your dress. And remember, don't walk anywhere further out than to the waist." She set down her basket on the sand and grabbed the blanket.

She ripped her dress over her head and shimmied out of her underwear. "Yes Grandma." With a large grin on her face, she ran. She kicked up sand as she ran closer to the brothers. The eyes of the younger one snapped to her and widened when their eyes locked. Her body froze and instantly she came to a halt a couple of yards in front of them. The older one, a boy with blond hair, almost white as the younger ones, quizzically looked what the young one was looking at. His blue eyes widened and a large smile spread on his face.

"Hello." He fully turned toward her. "I'm Wesley Evans. And this is my brother Solomon Evans." He gestured toward the younger boy who shyly looked away from them. "We have newly arrived here to our home for the summer. What is your name?"

The corner of her lips pulled into a bright smile. "Hi." She curtsied like her mother taught her. "I'm Maka Albarn. We live in―" She pointed her finger toward the direction of their home. "Over there! My Grandma told me we are neighbours."

He bowed deeply to her in return. Wesley snapped his eyes toward his younger brother, Solomon and glared at him as he sat in the water with his arms crossed over his chest, pouting. " _Solomon_." His voice was strained as he glared at his brother. Solomon sneered at his brother and whipped his head to the side. Wesley rolled his eyes. "I apologize on the behalf of my brother's behaviour. He is… outrageously shy."

"Oh." She inhaled deeply and marched right passed Wesley. Solomon's face snapped toward her with flabbergast painted on his face. The nearer she came, the larger his eyes widened. Her feet splashed when she stepped into the sea and she came to a halt in front of him. His mouth widened and he fell down on his behind and steadied himself on his hands. "Hi." She smiled brightly toward him and curtsied politely. "There is no need to be shy. We are neighbours!"

He grimaced and she was faced with curious razor sharp teeth. Teeth she'd never seen before in her entire life. They were odd… and somewhat terrifying… but at the same time, very intriguing and very…

beautiful.

"I have never had another child my age living near my home before." She kneeled in front of him and he slipped, fell down on his elbows and the water rose to his neck. "Do not fear. I do not bite."

"Oh. Um." Solomon made incoherent sounds as he sunk into the water further and the water stopped right under his nose.

She grinned wide toward him to the sound of Wesley's laughter.

* * *

An eleven year old Solomon Evans threw the brown silk away. "So this is where you have been hiding." A nine year old Maka jumped in her seat and eyes widened at the sudden face. "Azusa has been running around looking for you this morning. Mrs Albarn is quite frazzled and your Grandma is laughing at her."

She hushed him with her finger on her lips. "Solomon, lower your voice and get inside before she hears you."

He chuckled as he crawled inside under the table with the long cloth. "Whatever you say." He sat on the long red silk pillow beside her and glanced at thick book weighing in her hands. "A romance book again? You are such a bookworm."

She rolled her eyes at her friend and returned them to the book where the princess finally found her prince charming. "I am not. Simply an admirer of well-written literature."

"It is just fancy words for a bookworm, bookworm."

"You are such a bundle of sarcasm." She picked up the plate beside her with her dear Grandmother's apple pie.

"No way." He slowly leaned toward the plate of a perfect apple pie slice, mouth watering and his eyes fixed at the perfectly cooked crust. "Is that your Gran's apple pie?"

A large smirk spread on her face as she stabbed her fork in the pie, the crust cracked and she satisfyingly watched as Solomon licked his lips. "Yes it is. Too bad I only brought one slice with me." She put the slice in her mouth and moaned teasingly as the cinnamon and apples assaulted her taste bundles. She made sure to teasingly lick off every bit of sauce and crust from her fork. She grinned wide at his fiddling form.

Suddenly his thumb was thrusted in her face and he wore a large grin. "I declare a thumb war."

Her eyes fluttered with confusion. "A… thumb war?"

"Yes. We battle with our thumbs. The one to hold down the other's thumb…" a smirk grew on his face and he exposed his curious sharp teeth. "Is the winner and wins the slice."

Maka grinned at him and placed the plate away from his devouring eyes. "And why should I gamble with my slice?"

"What? Afraid of a challenge, bookworm?"

Her eyes narrowed at his daring grin. "Are you calling me a scaredy-cat, Solomon?"

"Maybe I am."

She thrusted her thumb in his face. "Fine. But if I win, _you_ will play some of those songs of yours on your piano."

He cringed. Ever since she learned of his interest in the piano, she'd begged him to play a song for her. For some reason, he refused to play for her.

After careful consideration, he nodded. "Okay, follow me." His hand grabbed hers and he pointed his thumb upward. Maka quickly followed. "All you need to do is lock down my thumb on the hand to win. You think you got it?"

She nodded and smirked wide toward him. "Absolutely. You should warm up your fingers and prepare to play a song for me."

He snorted. "In your dreams. Prepare to give up your piece of pie." His hand tightened on hers. "The war begins in three…" their eyebrows narrowed "two…" their faces neared "one…" their thumbs itched with excitement "go!" thumbs collided. His far longer thumb clawed at hers, trying to break her down with cheer strength. She bit her lip as she escaped his force before he locked her to their hands. His thumb aggressively went after her and his eyes burned with desire to possess her Grandma's infamous apple pie.

But the pie was hers.

Swiftly she dodged his clumsy furious attacks. His thumb dived toward her, rapidly she dodged and to his utter horror, counterattacked him. Her thumb dived over his and roughly pressed it down to their hands. He wiggled his thumb desperately under hers as he moaned with defeat.

"No way!" He ripped his hand from hers. "How could you win? I am two years older than you! I have a longer thumb than you! You cheated― ouch!" His eyes fluttered to her hand resting on his forearm. "Did you just pinch me?"

Maka grinned toward him and nodded. "Yes. It seems like you are not trapped in a dream." He cocked his eyebrow at her quizzically. She rolled her eyes at him. "Have you not heard? If you think you are dreaming, you pinch yourself and if you are trapped in a dream, you will wake up. It works. I have done it when I had nightmares."

Slowly he nodded as she removed her hand from his arm. "Did your Grand teach you that trick?"

"Yes." Maka grinned victoriously as she picked up the plate again, stabbing her fork in the apple pie. "Do not try to evade from the inevitable. Prepare your fingers because you will play the piano for me tonight."

* * *

"Forward… left… back…" A twelve year old Maka whispered to herself as she looked down at her feet. "Forward… left… back…" She moved her feet as Azusa had tried to teach her so many times, but never quite getting it. Her feet would never float over the floor like Azusa's had when she showed her.

"Pfft, you look like a beached whale trying to dance." A fourteen year old Solomon snickered, seated on the beach and watched as Maka struggled with her feet. "Were you born with two left feet?"

"Solomon!" Wes elbowed his brother in the rib and Solomon rubbed his hurting side, glaring at his brother. "You do not call a lady such awful names."

"What? It is true." Solomon gestured toward Maka's struggling form as she focused on her feet. "Look, she looks like her legs are broken. There is no way I would have thought she was an aristocrat based on her poor formal dance skills."

Maka growled with annoyance and stomped her feet on the sand, fisting her hands by her side. "If you are such a dance master then teach me how to waltz."

"Exactly. Why not give her a helping hand?" Wes playfully elbowed him in the side with a large grin on his face.

Solomon's eyes widened and his eyes darted away from her, cheeks heating up under the burning summer sun. "No way. I hate dancing. Dancing is uncool and for chumps."

The tiny smile she might have worn was gone and she sighed with defeat. She was never going to learn how to waltz. The Evans dinner party was fast approaching and she still didn't know how to waltz. She didn't want to humiliate herself or her mother with her poor skills. Not after Azusa huffing and groaning with annoyance at all the hours she'd tried to teach her to waltz. She knew the moves, but her feet wouldn't simply command and move as smoothly as hers had.

She groaned and sat down on the sand and crossed her arms on her knees. "What am I supposed to do?" She sighed and buried her face in her arms. "I am never going to learn how to waltz. My mother will be ashamed with me. I am never going to earn my freedom."

"Do not worry Maka." Feet kicked up sand as he went over to her, kneeling in front of her. A warm hand placed on her shoulder comfortingly. She looked up and found twin blue eyes staring into hers. "If Solomon will not teach you, I am honoured to offer you a helping hand."

Solomon choked on his saliva. "What?!" His eyes were left wide and his mouth opening and closing repeatedly helplessly. "But― but― _WES!_ "

"Solomon, lesson of life, if you give your competition an opportunity to steal the spotlight, they will." Wes calmly spoke as he removed his hand from Maka's shoulder and offered it to her. "May I have this dance?"

A smile spread wide on her face and she grabbed his much larger hand. "You may." She stood up on her feet and Wes rose two heads taller than her. She could not reach his shoulder and placed her hand on his waist. His placed on her shoulder.

"Stand on my feet." He commanded and Maka followed his lead, carefully stepping on his feet. "Formal dances are the men's dances. It is not you who lead, it is the man. Simply relax and be willing to let your partner lead."

Maka grimaced.

Wes laughed heartily. "You are a very strong young lady, but this is a man's chance at being close and showing his partner he is capable of taking care of his love interest."

"But I can take care of myself. I'm twelve, remember?"

"Of course I do. But remember, if you do not know how to dance, it is always safe to let your partner lead you. It is quite comfortable being led in a dance."

Slowly Maka nodded. "Fine. Just this once."

"Okay. Feel the rhythm of my steps. You already know the steps. Simply relax and let me lead you." Wes turned toward his brother pouting and glaring holes into his brother's skull. "Please give us a beat."

Solomon snarled toward his brother and dug his fingers into his cheek, but he obeyed his brother and unwillingly started to clap a beat on his thigh.

Wes started to dance with Maka on his feet. Just as smoothly as Azusa had danced. Her feet on his automatically followed the rhythm of Solomon's claps. Her eyes stayed locked on their feet with wonder how her feet could move so smoothly when Wes led her. With his help, her feet soared over the sand perfectly like a true waltz among aristocrats should be like.

"I'm dancing." She whispered with amaze in her voice.

"See?" Wes said with happiness in his voice. "A perfect waltz when you relax and let yourself be led."

"You are correct. It is… amazing―"

"Bah!" Solomon crossed his arms over his chest and his eyebrows narrowed further, almost becoming one long eyebrow. "Her posture was awful."

Wes rolled his eyes at his younger brother. "Do not mind him. He is jealous he did not have the honour to dance with you."

Her eyelashes fluttered when she stared at Solomon's hunched form, wrinkled face and blush on his cheeks. His hand pinched the back of his hand repeatedly as if he was trapped in a horrible nightmare. Her eyes then to the smile playing on Wes's face.

Huh?

* * *

Hands crossed over her stomach and elbows pulled back. Shoulders relaxed and her chin high. Her mother's watchful eye scanned her every other minute to make sure her perfect posture was consistent. Her father had his arm hooked with her mother and went like true aristocrats.

A hand placed on Maka's shoulder and she looked at it and was met with her Grandma's warm smile. A smile tugged at her lips and she neared her Grandma, searching for her comfort and warmth.

Maka was met with fine clothed aristocrats dancing on the dancefloor to the sound of the string orchestra the Evans family had hired for their dinner party. Round tables with white cloths decorated around the dance floor as if they were also swaying to the sweet melodies the orchestra produced.

"Mr. and Mrs. Albarn!" A woman with bright golden blond hair and blue eyes approached them rapidly. Maka recognized her as Mrs. Evans, Wes and Solomon's mother. "I was starting to worry something tragic had occurred."

Seated by a table, red eyes snapped toward her at the mention of surname. Without a thought of manners toward the other people seated by the table, he left and headed over toward her with long steps. He joined beside his mother in an instant and eyes set on her.

"We would absolutely not miss this for the world." Her mother curtsied and Mrs. Evans politely did in return. "I apologize for our late arrival. _Someone_ took quite some time getting clothed." Her mother glared at her father.

"You are here now and that is what matters, is it not?" Mrs. Evans smiled and placed her hand on Solomon's shoulder. "My son would not close his mouth. He was quite worried something tragic had occurred on your way here."

Solomon's cheeks heated and he quickly removed her hand from his shoulder. "Mother."

"Is that so?" Maka's mother intriguingly gazed at Solomon before her eyes returned to Mrs. Evans. "Perhaps we could… chat a little about our children's future?"

Her rose lips spread into a wide smile and her blue eyes lit up. "I thought you would never ask. Solomon, show our guests to their table." The two mothers excused themselves.

Solomon shoved his hands in his pockets and nodded his head toward the plethora of tables. "Follow me."

Her father grimaced at him and neared Maka as they followed Solomon. "Maka, darling," Maka cringed at the sound of her father's voice. "You did not tell me you were associating with a _male_."

"Spirit cut her some slack." Grandma said to Spirit. "Solomon is a very nice and a very caring boy. He is not going to harm Maka."

Maka caught Solomon flinch. He had definitely overheard their conversation. She grimaced as she turned to her bastard to a father. "Simply because you enjoy the head maiden does not mean Solomon will hurt me because he has the same equipment as you." She spat at her father whose face twisted with hurt and despise toward the boy leading them to their table. "Get over yourself because I am _not_ going to discard him as a friend because you will so."

"But― but― he is a _boy!"_

"Spirit―"

"Look, old man," Solomon spun around on his feet and glared daggers at him. "I do not like how you portray me as an abuser who will break her heart and her soul. Believe me, I am one of the good gentlemen here. I would _never_ let anything bad to happen to her. _Never!_ "

Spirits eyes narrowed and he neared the slightly shorter male. Threateningly he rose taller than the boy.

"Father―"

"Will you promise?" He paused as their faces neared, dominance sparking between them. "Will you promise on your life you will protect her from others and from yourself as long as you breathe?"

"Spirit!" Grandma shrieked with horror. "He is only _a boy!_ "

"I give you my word." Solomon growled through his clenched teeth. "If I break my vow I will disown my title as an aristocrat and an Evans and I will become your servant for eternity."

Her eyes widened at Solomon. Never before had she seen him so… so… determined. Never before had a fire burned so vividly in his eyes. His unwavering resolution was admiring and never before had she in her wildest dreams thought Solomon would stand up to her father and make such a daring promise.

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish. What was she supposed to say?

"If you break your promise, disowning your life will be a walk in the park compared to what I would put you through." Her father backed off from her friend.

Her Grandma scolded her father as Solomon led them to their table. Their table was luckily next to Solomon's. Wes smiled politely toward her as he with other aristocrat children older than her. One of them was a beautiful and modest Lady Anya Hepburn. Maka had never spoken to her, but from how she conducted herself, she was quite similar to Solomon. Both of them had a tendency of hiding their true feelings with a neutral facade. The similarities were quite… unsettling. She didn't really know why.

Her father took a seat by the table and Maka made sure to take a seat as far away from him as possible. Her Grandma smile disappeared and sorrow was clear on her face. She knew her Grandma hated the wedge between her and her father his affair had caused, but she couldn't budge. His affair was unforgivable. She could forgive her mother, her father was the first to cheat, so it only made sense for her mother to follow suit. He was the scum.

Her mother and Mrs. Evans appeared and her mother strolled over to their table with skips in her steps. Solomon was forced to return to his table when the servants strolled elegantly with their first course; delicious light shrimp soup.

"Maka, darling," her mother spoke up as she finished chewing her shrimp. "I know it is quite early to talk about marriage and suitable partners."

Maka's eyes fluttered quizzically at her mother, she lowered her fork. "What?"

"I had a very nice conversation with Mrs. Evans and both she and I think it would be very suitable for you to marry Solomon Evans."

Maka chocked on her saliva and coughed uncontrollably. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets at her mother. "W-w-what? Marriage? _Solomon._ "

Marry Solomon? He was her best friend and she trusted him with her life. She knew she could forever count on him even though he was sarcastic and rude, and he did have a pure heart and his priorities were right.

But marriage would shift their relationship to a different level. They wouldn't be the same.

She didn't want to enter a loveless marriage.

She hadn't experienced her own adventure.

She shook her head. Her tooth bit down her lower lips. "I do not want to." She whispered and her hand tightened on her fork. "I do not want to marry him."

"Sweetheart." Her Grandma leaned toward her and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "An arranged marriage is cruel and out of question." Her voice strained as she continued to speak. "Of course you will not have to marry him if you do not want to."

Maka bit back her tears and looked up to her Grandma's sweet and wrinkly face. "R-really?"

"I promise." Comfortingly she rubbed Maka's shoulder and reeled her in. "Marriage should be about love, but these days all the parents seem to think about is external material and not internal connections and sensations."

Her eyes fluttered questioningly.

"I am talking about love."

"Love?" She had red stories about love. About the princess falling head over heels in love with her prince when their eyes first lock and their souls bond over a dance. About princes saving their beloved from high castles their princesses find themselves locked inside and guarded by a dragon. Love that instant bond between two persons that bind them together for eternity.

Love was magic, but she had never witnessed or experienced love.

She knew her Grandma loved her Grandpa when he was alive, but never before had she heard anyone else being in love.

Did love even exist?

"Do not worry, sweetheart." Her bright green eyes lit up the room and her smile warmed her body. "One day, just like in the adventures I tell you about, you will steal someone precious's treasure."

Her eyes lit up. "Will it have golden coins and amazing books?"

"It will contain something better and far more desirable than materials."

"Ohhhh." Books were already the best thing she knew. Something far better than that? She couldn't even imagine what it could be.

"And in the process, someone will take your most precious treasure."

"Huh?!" Her eyes widened in horror at her Grandma. "But I do not want someone to take _mine!_ "

Her Grandma laughed heartily and hugged her tightly with her free arm. "Believe me, sweetheart, when it happens, you will beg not to have it back." Her head twisted backwards to look behind them. "Am I not right, Solomon?"

She spun around and found Solomon standing tall in his black suit and red dress shirt. His cheeks were red and his eyes darted to the side. "Um… ah… yes…" He pitifully squeaked like a mouse. She had never seen him so… flustered before.

"Do not worry darling… she is a very talented and smart young lady, but with love she needs time." Her Grandma spoke to him as he fiddled with his suit jacket on the spot. Maka could only cock her eyebrow at her Grandma's knowing and sweet smile and Solomon's heated cheeks. The room wasn't _that_ hot.

"So what brings you here, young Solomon Evans?" Mrs. Albarn said and leaned slightly over her cleaned plate with anticipation.

"Um…" with shaky steps he rounded Maka's seat so she didn't have to break her neck to look at him. "The first course is finished…" he scratched his cheek. "I was just… eh… maybe… you would like to dance. With me."

"You want to dance?" Maka tilted her head with confusion. "But you hate formal dancing."

"I― you know, you got to… you know…" He cupped his neck and nervously massaged it. "You practised so hard… you have to show your dancing."

"But if you are uncomfortable with dancing, I do not want to dance with you. I do not want you to do something you are uncomfortable with. It is touching you care but I could simply dance with someone else―"

Her voice was cut off when Solomon suddenly bowed in front of her with his hand out toward her. "Please dance with me!" He exclaimed and his hair covered his face. "I _want_ to dance with you!"

Her eyes widened at his lowered head and his shaking hand outstretched toward her. Quickly she pinched her arm. And he was still bowing in front of her. "Okay…" She grabbed his hand and slipped from her chair. His head snapped up toward her and his whole face glowed a perfect red. He smiled sheepishly as he led her toward the dancefloor. His hand stayed in hers and he placed his hand on her waist. Maka rested hers on his shoulder and her elbow pointed upward.

The music was luckily slow and soft. He stepped forward and she stumbled slightly backwards. "Sorry." She whispered and her hand tightened in his hand.

"Relax." Solomon comfortingly squeezed her hand. "Just like Wes said, relax and let me lead."

How could she relax when his hand was shaking and clammy with sweat? Both of them were nervous to the bone. Both were uneasy and edgy. When she looked into his eyes, all she could hear was her mother's suggestion about becomes his… wife. He was her best friend and someone very special to her… but she didn't feel the magnificent love. Love didn't fire up in her soul the moment she saw him and her heart didn't bond with his.

"I am sorry for eavesdropping earlier." Maka continued to stumble after him while he smoothly floated along the dancefloor. "I heard Mrs. Albarn suggest an arranged marriage between us."

"Oh." Her face heated and she evaded his daring eyes. "I apologize―"

"I want you to know I am also against the idea."

"Y-you are?"

He nodded. "An arranged marriage is wrong. Marriages should be founded on love and affection, not set up by two parents."

She sighed with relief and smiled toward him. "Thank goodness you agree. I do not think a marriage between us would be a good idea. We are great friends but there is no love or interest toward such a partnership between us."

He smiled sheepishly toward her. "R-right… no love…"

With the weight of an arranged marriage off her shoulders, her feet started to cooperate with her. She moved almost as smoothly as her partner. The hem of her green silk dress fluttered and brushed against his pants as they swirled around on the dancefloor. She did enjoy dancing with Wes on the beach, but dancing with Solomon, floating around on the dancefloor brought a large smile on her face.

When Solomon unexpectedly twirled her, she giggled happily before he would reel her in and continue their waltz. Never before had she enjoyed dancing as much as she did with Solomon.

They danced song after song after song until the servants pooled out with the main course. He led her back to her table and bowed deeply before he returned to his seat with his brother and the beautiful Lady Anya Hepburn. As soon as she'd taken her final bite of the amazing pork, Solomon appeared beside her and asked to dance again. Happily she accepted his hand and they twirled and floated over the dancefloor once again. She caught Solomon with a mile long smile. He was enjoying dancing just as much as she was to her relief.

Dessert arrived and went and just like before, with her last bite appeared Solomon once again. He twirled her every chance he got and ever time her stomach fluttered with excitement and laughed happily.

In the heat of their dance, her eyes aimed toward Solomon's table where Wes, their parents and the young Lady Anya Hepburn and her parents sat by. The young lady pouted and her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at her.

She was seated with Solomon's parents, her family had to be a special guest. Anya seemed to be very angry with her narrowed perfectly groomed eyebrows.

Was Solomon supposed to offer her a dance, perhaps?

"Solomon."

"Yes?" He spun her and for the first time, she didn't giggle with joy. Instantly he sensed the shift in the air and his smiling face shifted to a worried one. "Is something wrong?"

"It appears Lady Hepburn has been staring at us for quite some time. I think she is waiting for her turn to dance with you." They swirled to the beat of the weeping violin.

He grimaced and his hand tightened on hers. "I have informed her I do not wish to dance with her. I told her I was already occupied dancing with another fine lady."

"Why would you do that? You could give her _one_ dance. I could use a break to rest my feet."

Before she'd even finished her sentence, he was shaking his head and his nose wrinkled as if he'd eaten something bitter. "No. No way. I do not want to dance with her. I want to dance with _you_."

"One dance is not going to kill you―"

"But _you_ could."

Her eyes fluttered with confusion. What was he talking about? Her feet were aching from the too small heels her mother forced her to wear and the corset was hurting her ribs. Resting could only do her good.

"If I go and dance with her, I am afraid I would never get to dance with you again." They came to a halt in the middle of the dancefloor and the other couples swirled around them. His hand tightened on hers and his eyes stared into hers without a shred of the usual playful or sarcastic spark. "What if I go dance with her, and someone comes and dances with you? What if they have bad intentions and I know you have practised swordplay daily but―"

"Solomon." She slipped her hand from his and cupped his cheeks. "Calm down. We have danced the whole evening. My feet are sore and my corset is bruising my ribcage. I think I have had enough of dancing for today. It is quite late and I think my family is ready to return home."

"Not now?" Solomon whined and placed his hands on top of hers, his thumb caressing her soft skin. "The night is still young. The fun has only begun. I could play more songs for you on the piano. We could take a walk in the garden or visit the beach. There are still so many things we can do."

She giggled and removed her hands from his grasp. "Seems like you planed out a whole adventure for us, did you not?"

He smirked sheepishly as he cupped his neck and massaged it. "What can I say? You always dream about adventures and I wanted to give you one tonight."

"Your thought is very touching, Solomon. But my idea of adventure is sailing with pirates and finding X marking the spot for treasures. I want to see the world and experience it with my own two eyes." She curtsied deep toward Solomon. "I think it is time for me to return to my family. You are more than welcome to my Grandma's story-telling session tomorrow. Stein is also joining us and is going to show us some items he picked up from his adventures."

"Will there be apple pie?"

She rolled her eyes at her friend. "Of course there will."

"I cannot pass on your Gran's delicious apple pie." He offered her his arm. "Let me escort you back to your table before I'm fed to the wolves."

She giggled as she accepted his arm. "I do not think Lady Hepburn will be _that_ bad of a dance partner. Quite frankly, I think she will be a better dancer than me."

"She might be a better dancer," Both of them started to head toward the Albarn's table. "But she is no you, Maka."

* * *

Her cheek rested against his warm chest as she listened to the mix of the sound of his pulse and the waves soothingly hitting the beach. His hand ran through her hair as they watched the sun slowly set in the horizon.

"Tomorrow we will leave to return to the city." A fifteen year old Solomon broke the comfortable silence.

"Promise me you will write to me as soon as you can." A thirteen year old Maka murmured as her eyes watched the red burning ball in the distance colour the sky a beautiful shade of pink.

"I promise." His lips moved against her skull. He sighed heavily and nuzzled his nose in her hair. "I wish I did not live across the country. I wished I could live in our summer home every season and not only in the summer."

"Me too." Her thumb absent-mindedly drew circles on his chest over his dress shirt. "It would be a nuisance for you to interrupt my reading sessions, but I think I could live with that. Azusa would definitely throw a fit, but it would be worth it."

"It is so unfair." His arms around her waist tightened as if she would run away from him. "Why can we not live closer to each other? It is like the Gods are punishing us, teasing us by only giving us three months every year to be with each other."

"You do know we are never truly apart." She angled her face to look into his sorrowful eyes. "We write letters as often as we can and we will always be under the same sky. We will always stare at the same sunset."

"Sharing the same sky is not comforting. You are still thousands of miles too far away."

"And so are you." She returned her ear on his chest and listened to the sound of his regular breathing. "But what can we do about it? Nothing. Your parents would never be satisfied living in such a small town as this one. Your family feeds of large crowds to listen to your music. And my family would never be comfortable with living in a large city with loud sounds and people wandering the streets."

"But it would be an adventure if you came to the city."

"And you know as well as I do I am not allowed to go on my adventures until I have turned eighteen and my mother satisfied with my educational development. I am simply lucky she tolerates me taking swordplay lessons."

He sighed heavily and his chest lowered with her comfortable snuggled on his chest and their legs entangled. "You are lucky. At least you gain _some_ freedom."

"I know it is tough. But be patient. Your parents will let you play your music very soon." Her eyes fluttered shut and she smiled against his cotton dress shirt. She'd heard his playing. _His_. Not the infamous pieces his parents forced him to play. She heard his compositions and the melodies were rushed, heavy and dark, even though she didn't quite understand his music, it sounded beautiful in its own unique way. "They will change their minds eventually."

He snorted. "They will never change their minds. They know exactly what they want and they will do whatever to get what they want. They do not care about my happiness. They only care what they think is right."

"Of course they care about you. They simply think playing others work is what is for the best for you."

"Their concern is not exactly helping me develop as a pianist. More like they are derogating my intelligence."

"They can? You do not really have much intelligence in your head." She broke out giggling. He glared at her as she sat up in between his legs with her hand covering her mouth.

"Low blow." Even though he glared at her, the corners of his lips twitched repeatedly as he sat up and rested his elbow on his knee. "You know I got some intelligence in me."

She stopped laughing at him and lowered her hand. "Yes." She tilted her head and smiled toward him. "But it is tragic how you do not use your knowledge."

"I do!"

"Do not."

"I do!

"You used your knowledge _oh so wisely_ when you so stupidly challenge me to thumb wars."

He pouted and crossed his arms over his chest. "You never know. I do practise with Wes and I always win over him. A guy got to believe."

She rolled her eyes and playfully swatted his chest. "Oh please. You can practise for an eternity and you would still never beat me."

"Perhaps." Her eyes darted to his hand suddenly laying over hers on her lap. He smiled warmly toward her and his eyes glistered in the setting sun. "But trying will always be enough for me."

Her chest pleasantly heated up as he caressed his thumb over the smooth skin on the back of her hand.

"I will not stop you from trying then."

"Solomon." Their heads snapped toward the end of the beach and saw Wes stand tall with his hands in his pockets. "It is time."

She grimaced and she flipped her hand and entwined their fingers together. A deep sigh escaped her lips. "Another summer gone too quickly."

"Indeed it has." Wes slowly approached the two cuddled together on the beach. "Time does fly away when you are having fun."

"I do not want to leave." Solomon murmured and his hand tightened on hers.

"But you have to. We will stay in touch via letters and we will see each other next summer."

"It is not the same." Solomon whipped his eyes away from Wes and locked with Maka's. "I hate living in the city. I despise not being able to play my own songs. I hate the fact everything I like and completes me is either taken away from me, or is out of reach."

"All we can do is endure and wait for the opportunity to come to us." Wes placed his palm on Solomon's shoulder. "When you turn eighteen, you are free to do as you like. Endure three more years."

"Three years is too long." Solomon rose on his feet and the sand wiggled in between his toes. "There has got to be a way…"

"It is late. We need to return home. The night will be short and we will leave early tomorrow morning." Wes's grip on his younger brother's shoulder tightened. "It was a pleasure spending another wonderful summer with you, Maka. We will make sure to write as often as we can."

Maka curtsied politely when he lowered his head gentlemanly. "I will patiently be waiting for your first letter―" she gasped and her eyes widened when Solomon's body collided with hers. His arms threw around her neck and he hugged her tightly. "Solomon. This is not a goodbye." Her arms snaked around his waist and returned the embrace fondly. "We will still see each other next summer."

"I know." He muttered sadly. "I wanted a see-you-later hug."

She giggled and tightened her hold on him. "You are such a cuddle bug." She tried to pull away from him, but his arms only tightened, refusing to let her leave too soon. "You can let me go now."

"I'm not ready."

"The sun is almost gone."

"Let it go."

"I do not wish for you to walk in the dark."

"I have my brother with me. I will be fine." He loudly inhaled as he buried his face in her hair. "And I know not a single man would dare to jump at you."

She sighed and her eyes fluttered closed. His lips brushed her hair and pressed against her skull. "I will miss you."

"And I you." He pulled away from her and stared into her eyes with his soft crimson ones as the sun set in the horizon. He tucked a hair strand behind her ear. His fingertips ran down her ear and went along her jaw. "I will write as soon as I have safely returned to my home."

"I will patiently be waiting."

The sun disappeared at the sea as they pulled away from each other. She watched Solomon and Wes wave toward her wearing sorrowful smiles. They disappeared in the darkness.

If she'd known it was the last glimpse of her alive beloved friend, she would've gone after him to the city to spend his last days with him. She would disobey her mother and abandon her home to be with him and care for him. She would re-tell stories her Grandma had told her as they would hide under table cloths and eating stolen sweets from the kitchen. Never would she ask him to play the piano for her. Never would she let his parents prevent him from playing the music he wanted to play.

Never would she allow him to disappear from her.

But she couldn't. She didn't receive any letter from him. The next time she saw him was his black casket being lowered into the ground.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

A groan escaped her mouth as she ran her hand through her slightly damp hair. Her eyes fluttered open to see the ceiling inside of the Captain's Cabin. Instantly her eyes widened and the comfortable mattress and pillows suddenly turned very much uncomfortable.

What happened? How did she end up there _again!_

She sat up straight in the bed and covered her mouth with shaky hands. She whipped toward the side, seeing her Captain sleeping soundly beside her. Naked chest and his neither region covered by the blanket.

Oh no.

 _Oh no!_

Quickly she threw off her blanket and was relieved seeing she was dressed in one of her Captain's white shirts and still wearing her undergarments.

She'd been drinking a lot. She'd drunken way too much and she'd ended up clinging to her Captain like an octopus to then unintentionally reveal her identity to him. They kissed. He knew of her identity and― and―

"You asshole!" She punched him in his chest.

His eyes snapped open and he cried out in pain. "Geez Maka! Take it easy on the punches." He rubbed the sore spot right above his right nipple.

" _You're_ Solomon?! Why didn't you tell me who you were?" She slapped his hand and tears poured up in her eyes. "I waited for you! I waited for you so long! I thought you were _dead!_ " She punched him square in the forehead, him still sleepily trying to fend off her attacks. "I went to your _funeral!_ "

"Stop!" He grabbed a hold of her hands and held them together. "Geez, if I knew I would get a round two of this I would've tied you up."

"Answer me! Why didn't you tell me, Solomon?" Her tears escaped her eyes and streamed down her face. "Why? Why Solomon? Why didn't you write to me? Why didn't you tell me you were okay?"

He yanked at her hands and embraced her tightly. "I knew my family would've lied to you." He whispered into her ear. "The truth is; I ran away because I could no longer live a lie. I wanted to play my own music, but my parents wouldn't allow it. I decided, I would rather disown them than to keep living my life the way they wanted. And I guess, they made up that story in order to cover up the fact their son was willing to become a street child than living with them."

"And that of course explains why you never wrote me a letter." She spat out.

"I'm sorry." He rubbed her soothingly as he rocked her in his arms. "I wanted to see you. I wanted to see you so badly. I tried to travel to you, but it was so far away. Tezca took me in and when he told me about Oni's Treasure, about the immortality we would find, I made a promise to myself I wouldn't return to you until I'd acquired the treasure."

"Do you honestly think I would've given a shit?" She hiccupped as more tears flowed down her cheeks and onto his warm shoulder.

His chuckle made her heart flutter. "You've gotten such a dirty mouth."

"Solomon I swear I'll throw you into the ocean."

"Fine. No jokes." Her eyebrow twitched. She could still feel a wide grin against her temple. "But you've got to understand, Maka. When I was young, all I wanted was to be with you. The summers were way too short. I wanted to live in our mansion not only in the summer. I wanted to see you every day and every time I'd to leave you, my heart was ripped into pieces."

"How tragic. You never had to go to _my funeral!_ I _saw_ your casket!"

"And I _tried_ to get to you. I really did. I walked for weeks just so I could see you."

"But you _never_ came!"

"You know why. If Tezca never took me in, I wouldn't be here. I would've died on the streets. I owed him my life. I owed him to find Oni's Treasure before I could return to you." His grip on her tightened and she buried her face in the curve of his neck.

She sniffled and closed her eyes. She promised herself she was over Solomon. She promised herself she had moved on from Solomon, but he'd always been there. At the back of her head. He was the boy who always occupied her thoughts when he was gone and she always looked forward to the summer. Then she'd be waiting at the beach half-way from their mansions for him to come and when he arrived, he would playfully pinch her arm, telling her it wasn't a dream. That he was real.

"A letter would've been appreciated!"

"I know. I know. I just thought― I didn't know what to write to you. I thought that maybe… you would've been ashamed of me."

"Ashamed?" She snorted. "Solomon, you heard how I babbled on _daily_ about my dream to become a pirate. Why on earth would've been ashamed?"

"Because I wouldn't be good enough." His hands fisted the material of her shirt. "I thought that… I wouldn't be good enough since I wasn't in the same category as you."

"I told you. You should stop putting yourself down like this. You're better than you think. And you should've more faith in me." She pulled away from him wiped the tears from her cheeks. "We've been friends for _years_. That wasn't going to change because of your decision. I would've still _been there._ "

"And I'm sorry. I should've had more faith in us." He cupped her cheek and wiped away her tears with his thumb. "But you got to admit, immortality would beat a beautiful mansion and wealth."

She cocked her eyebrow.

"You know, to convince you to marry me―"

"Oh my death!" Her cheeks heated up and she avoided his eyes. "We were _children_."

"And even back then I knew I liked you." His hand brought her face back and his crimson eyes stared into her own. She's melting into a happy puddle of mush. "You were my only true friend and you were so cool and beautiful. How could I _not_ like you?"

"I-I―" her voice was lost, rummaging for words. She knew she was on her way to liking him too when she was young. He was her best friend and she always had a blast with him. Even though he was a mush of insecurities and sarcasm. It wasn't until he was gone she realised he meant something more to her than best friends. "B-but when― I mean, what in the world would you expect? You know, by marching up to me giving me a ring and offer me immortality?"

"I didn't really give it much thought." She wanted to slap her hand on her forehead. Of course he wouldn't think it through properly. "In my mind, I would propose, you would gush with joy and accept my proposal and we would live happily forever after."

"Geez, I can't believe you sometimes. _That_ was your plan? All this time, you sailed the seas in order to find a stupid treasure to offer to me? You're an idiot."

"Come on, it was a good idea."

Maka recoiled away from his touch as if it'd shocked her. "A good idea? It's the worst you could've come up with! Do you think I'd have really cared about _immortality?_ I would've rather gotten you back. It means nothing to me."

"Okay. Fine. It was a stupid idea. I just… I just wanted to give you something that would stand out from your other suitors. I wanted to give you a reason to choose _me_ because all I've ever wanted was to be yours."

"Then why didn't you come back even thought you didn't have the treasure?"

"Because I would rather stay away from you than witness you chose someone else. It would kill me to see someone else belong to you." He looked down at his dark underwear as he fiddled with his hands. "I couldn't take being rejected by you."

She rolled her eyes and cupped his face. "You're such an idiot. Your complete lack of faith in me hurts. Solomon, what we had when we were young was something I would never trade away or forget. Every moment I spent with you is very precious to me."

His eyes lifted and his shoulders were pulled up to his jaw like the insecure child she'd liked so much. "You mean it?"

"Yes. Which is why I'm a little bewildered. If you knew who I was, why didn't you tell me who you were?"

"Because you truly hated my guts. I found out who you were at the ball. No farmer's girl could know how to act like a true aristocrat as easily as you did. I didn't want you to simply like me because of our past. I wanted you to like me because of the person I am." His hands entangled with hers and her heart fluttered deliciously at the contact. "That's why I didn't say anything because I wanted you to truly like me now. Solomon died the moment he climbed out his window the night he ran away. Ever since then I've been Soul Eater. I would appreciate it if you referred to me as Soul and not Solomon."

She nodded and squeezed his hands. "Of course. But I don't get one thing. Why did you always call me Sprog? You never called me by my real name up until now."

His cheeks immediately heated up and embarrassedly he stared at their clothes haphazardly thrown over chairs and the coffee table. "You know― well, it sort of was… it's because… I sort of only wanted to refer to you as Maka when you knew my true identity."

Her eyes fluttered at him. "It's kind of cute." She retrieved her hands from his and playfully elbowed him in the rib. "I never took you for a romancer."

"You rubbed off on me with all those nerdy romance books you read." He crossed his arms over his chest, still blushing brightly.

"You've become such a romancer. I never thought I would see the day."

"So did I. You were an animal last night." Her eyebrow raised as a wide smirk grew on his face. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?" Oh dear. Please don't say she did anything embarrassing yesterday.

"You were all over me." His hand slowly going up her knee to her thigh was very distracting. "You were clinging onto me like a monkey after you used me as a punching bag. Not to forget, you did some _sinful_ things to me. Never saw it coming for a second that you could be kinky."

Her cheeks heated up and she shook her head violently as if it could make it less truthful. "No! I _wouldn't_ do that! I didn't do that? Did I?"

"Oh yes you did." He waggled his eyebrows. "Let's say I didn't have any trouble getting you out of your wet clothes― wow! Maka calm down!" He swung his hands up in surrender as Maka raised her fist with a snarl on her face.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't."

"One, I didn't look as you changed and two, we didn't actually do anything."

Her eyes narrowed at Soul, slowly lowering her fist. "If I find out you peeked at me, I'll hit you."

"Please, it's not like I haven't already seen everything― ouch! I meant it as in when we were kids!"

She crossed her arms over her chest and got up from the bed. "You still deserved that one."

"Makaaaa." He almost spun like a cat as he moved closer toward the edge of the bed. "Come back to bed. I want to cuddle."

She rolled her eyes. Still a low key cuddle bug it seemed. "Soul, we should be working by now. The sun is already up and we should been sailing toward Island of Lost Souls." She looked out of his window and saw indeed that they were moving away from the harbour. "We should go and help the other."

A wide grin spread on his face. "I've already taken care of it." He patted the spot right by him. "Come here. I know you want to cuddle."

As much as she should go and help the others with the sails or start scrubbing the floors, the idea of cuddling with her long lost friend and her beloved Soul was very tempting. After watching him from afar for so long, she could now touch him and kiss him, maybe she could afford to cosy up with Soul for just a while. She didn't care if she looked shady toward the others, heck they'd even encouraged her to pursue a relationship with Soul. Nobody missed her. All she wanted was to rejoice in the sensation of being wanted by Soul.

"After considering your suggestion, fine. Just a short cuddle session won't hurt."

His grin widened as she crawled over the bed to him, already ready with the blanket up and wrapped it around them when she lied next to him. Her stomach pleasantly performed a cartwheel as his salty smell tickled her nostrils. His body warmed her up, or maybe his affection did. Her body was hot and her heart pounded against her ribcage. Yes, it had to be his affection that warmed her so.

He sighed with content as his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her close to his chest. His eyes closed and his thumb drew circles on her back. "Hmm, this is how I want every morning to be like."

A smile played on her face. "Me too." She stroked her hand over his chest. "I can't believe I can do this from now on― ow! Soul!"

"What?" His eyes fluttered open as his thumb sooth the sore spot on her back where he'd pinched her. "Old habits."

"Oh yeah. You want to play that card." She sat up on the bed and gazed at Soul's naked chest, cladded with the large and ragged scar on his chest. He thrusted her thumb in Soul's face. "I challenge you to a thumb war."

A grin spread on his face and he accepted her hand. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I've gotten a whole lot better. You're not going to crush me like you did years ago."

"We'll have to see about that."

She had to admit, he was better than before. When they were young, she would win every time, leaving him with a sore thumb and a broken ego. He never learned that even though he'd a longer thumb and had the upper hand, technique was all it came down to. She struggled with bringing down his thumb. It was a close match throughout and Soul was close to defeat her multiple times. As always, she won after an equal battle till the end.

"Argh! I thought I had it!" He slumped down, lying beside her. "You'll always be better than me."

"You were close multiple times. You really had me struggling." She caressed his bicep lovingly, leaving a trail of goose bumps behind. "I think you deserve a consolation price."

A grin spread on his face. "I'll take it any given day." He puckered his lips and his eyes fluttered closed.

She rolled her eyes as her hand settled on the heavy jewellery around her neck. It was a piece of jewellery that had been passed down through generations with the prophesy it would save a life. Her eyes shifted to Soul still waiting for his kiss with his lips ready.

If something were to happen to him― she couldn't even imagine it. She'd just gotten him back. The last thing she wanted was something to happen to him. If the necklace did indeed hold any magic to save a life, she wanted Soul to have it.

Her hands ran over the chain and took it off, dropping it on his face. He spluttered and his eyes snapped open, moving the necklace aside. "What happened to my kiss?"

"Who said you were going to receive a kiss?" She grinned wide as she pointed toward the necklace. " _That's_ your consolation price."

His jaw fell open as he held the necklace in his hands. "This? But this is yours. You got it from your grandma―"

"And I want you to have it." Leaving out the part of its maybe-magical powers was probably a good idea. Her smaller hands cupped his own and closed his fingers over the large golden jewellery. "It means a lot to me and I want you to have it. As a reminder that I'll always be with you."

He was silent for a moment, viewing the necklace in his hands. "Thank you." He whispered. "I want to give you something in return then."

"Oh no, you don't have to." She protested but his hands worked the lock on his silver chain, removing it from his neck.

"I want you to have this." He leaned close to her as he snaked his arms around her neck and locked the chain around her swan neck. "It belonged to Tezca. He gave it to me the first time Asura attack."

"Soul." Her hands touched the warm silver chain around her neck. "But this belonged to your Captain. You should keep it."

He shook his head as he put on her golden necklace. "I already have a memory of that particular day." His index finger tapped over the large scar bisecting his chest.

Her eyes settled on the ugly pale scar on his chest. Of course it had to be one of the snakes aboard of Arachnophobia who left such a nasty-looking scar on his chest―

Loud banging on the Captain's Cabin's door echoed in the room. "Captain!" Ox screamed on the other side.

Soul sighed heavily as he ran his hand through his hair. "I swear if this is―"

"It's an emergency! There's a traitor aboard Shibusen!"

"What?!" Soul and Maka shouted including voices on the other side of the door. Quickly Maka and Soul hurried up from the bed, grabbed their now dry clothes of the chairs and table. Soul quickly threw his clothes on and strapped his sword to his pants. When he was already cladded, Maka searched for her hat to no avail when he ripped the door open. Without a second thought, she abandoned her search and left her swords on the chair.

As soon as she ran out, she saw her green bag in Ox's hand and in the other her journal. "Hey! That's my journal!" She yelled and dived toward it. He pulled it away from her reach.

"Captain. I've found evidence that Maka works with Arachnophobia."

Her jaw hit the floor and so did the other crewmembers aboard Shibusen. "Ye must be kiddin'?" Black*Star violently waved his hands as he neared Ox. "Me most trusted follower would never turn her back on me to help those scums!"

"Your accusations are very grave, Ox." Kid pointed out with his arms crossed over his chest. "Are you sure you want to keep pushing the matter further?"

The atmosphere grew tense to the point you could cut it with a knife. "I can back it up easily." He brought the journal close to him, opening the journal and skipping pages till he came to the desirable one. "' _As soon as I find the ship Arachnophobia where the Gorgon Trio is, I'm going to leave behind Shibusen and fulfil my dream. To sail the seven seas with the Gorgon trio. Sincerely myself.'"_ Ox stopped reading and all eyes were set on her.

Never before had she felt so small. So insignificant. Tsubaki's eyes were wide and her hand covered her mouth in shock, slowly shaking her head in disbelief. Black*Star's eyes were of shock and his jaw tense. She couldn't bear to look at Soul, afraid of what she'd see.

"I can explain―"

"Wait, there is more." Ox cut her off and she skipped a couple of pages. "Listen to this; ' _Shibusen seems like a great crew with a lot of spirit, but this isn't where my heart belongs. It belongs on Arachnophobia. With the Gorgon Trio._ ' And listen close to this part because this's where it gets real. _'Maybe I could somehow help Arachnophobia with information and then convince Asura to let me join. I know Black*Star and the others will be disappointed with me, but I got to keep on moving.'_ " Ox folded the corner of the paper on her journal and threw it toward Soul "Ye can check her handwriting. It's hers."

She didn't dare to face him as she heard him skip through pages till he found the right one. "It's hers." His words were filled with disbelief and heart-breaking pain. It almost made her look at him.

"Not to forget the most important evidence." Ox dug his hand through Maka's bag, rummaging through it until he retrieved a― she wasn't quite sure what it was, some kind of leather cylinder with straps. "This, my fellow pirates, is a bag for a bird. She used it to strap it on Royal Thunder an' deliver the messages to ship Arachnophobia."

"You're lying!" Maka exclaimed, trying to defend herself, but it was all there. Her old journal entries and this kind of bag. Everything was against her. Someone was setting her up!

"Am I lying?" He pointed toward her with the hand holding the leather cylinder. "Ye're the one who constantly used Royal Thunder for yer deeds! That's why he was always missing!" He turned toward Soul and the rest of the crew. "Don't ye think the attack on us was a little odd? How did they know we were going to be there? It's the wrong kind of port they would be at. _She_ leaked our location. _She_ made the perfect set up for Asura to attack an' steal the clue. _She_ is the poison among us!"

"I didn't do it!" Maka yelled at the top of her lungs as she backpedalled away from the crew. For the first time she dared to look at Soul. His eyes were set on the floor and his hand dug into her journal, jaw and shoulders tenser than ever. "You got to believe me! Those journal entries I wrote a long time ago! I would never―"

"But ye did." Ox opened the leather bag in his hands and retrieved a rolled up paper. She'd a feeling this wasn't going to be good. "This's a message she was going to send to Arachnophobia. I found it strapped onto Royal Thunder, ready to be delivered to the enemy." He dropped the bag on the ground and unrolled the note. "It's a message to Arachnophobia. It information 'bout the treasure's location on the Island of Lost Souls _an'_ our sailing route."

"I didn't do it!" Frustration weighted her down as she flailed with her arms. "Yes I wrote those journal entries, but those were when I first joined Shibusen. The other stuff I didn't do. Someone is trying to set me up! You got to believe me…!"

Everything was against her. Every piece of evidence was there pointing against her even though she didn't do it. The uselessness of fighting clawed at her as tears welled up in her eyes, but she had to keep on fighting. She had to find the person who really leaked out information to Arachnophobia and clear her from suspicion.

"You do believe me, right?"

Kid's arms were crossed over his chest as he shook his head slightly in disbelief. Tsubaki's hand still rested on her mouth in equal shock. Liz's hands were balled into fists as she bit her lower lip and Patty, the cheerful Patty, was transfixed and her eyes wide. Sid's lips were formed into a strained line and his arms crossed over his chest, eyes shut as if he refused to face the facts that were laid in front of him.

Ox stood and smirked proudly toward her with his hands on his hips as if he'd just won a large wager game of poker. "Face it. Ye tried to play us an' now ye're discovered for the traitorous landlubber ye are. Now how much of a raise will I get, Captain?"

Maka bit her lower lip as she faced her Captain. "Soul… you believe me… right?"

He was silent. Silently battling thoughts in his head. Eyes vibrant with a mix of powerful emotions. Betrayal. Hurt. Fear. Disbelief. A refusal to accept the evidence provided to him. And also, a love to her so vivid and flaming it could not be contained.

"Soul?" She carefully repeated.

His head rolled up from being engrossed on the wooden floor. Eyes fixating on her now blank with emotions, not giving away what conclusion he'd come to.

One step toward her. One click of his boot revealed his decision, and his intentions. Only one step toward her caused the heavy atmosphere around them to crush.

Black*Star leaped in front of Soul with his sword drawn and pointed it toward his neck.

"Black*Star!" Soul shouted with rage in his voice and anger flamed in his eyes. "Move!"

"No way Cap'n!" He gritted his teeth as he pressed the tip to Soul's throat.

Kilik was about to draw his sword to aid his Captain when Kid pulled out his guns and pointed onto to Kilik's temple and the other toward Sid if he would dare to help Soul. Sid only stood with his hands crossed over his chest with no intention of engaging. "This is ridiculous!" Kid exclaimed as he pulled the hammers, ready to fire if necessary. "The Maka you know would never do such a thing!"

"Yeah!" Patty laughed cheerfully as she and her sister pointed their guns toward Ox.

It touched her that some of the crew could see through the evil intentions of the real traitor and see the innocence in her.

"Maka." Tsubaki stepped in front of her and grabbed a hold of her shoulders, tears streaming down her pale face and nails digging into her shoulders. "You got to go. Go before they get their hands on you. I promise you I'll find the real traitor and we'll come back for you."

"But Tsubaki." She bit her lower lip, hearing the angry screams of her name and curses to Black*Star from Soul.

"No buts. You got to go!" She pushed her toward the railing.

On instinct, she sprinted toward the railing, stepping on it and powerfully jumped off Shibusen. She dived into the sea head first. The cool water assaulted her and all she wanted to do was scream in frustration. Scream because someone had wanted her gone and set her up to appear as a traitor.

She broke through the surface and gasped for air, tears welling down her face as she swam as fast as she could toward Port of Demise. Silently she cried for herself at how the day had turned from the greatest morning of her life, to the most heart-breaking day. She'd been reunited with her best friend she'd thought to be dead for years, found out her feelings were mutual and spent the morning with her beloved. Now, he must hate her. What he'd been running from and fearing for years after his Captain died became a reality.

It only took eight minutes to change her life so radically. Only eight minutes from the moment she exited his nest to the moment her body was enveloped in the salty water.

The tears rolling down her cheeks were barely noticeable. Her already wet face covered up her tears and she swam sadly to the port, leaving behind what she loved and treasured the most.

She swam and she swam. Fatigue starting to wear her down, but she refused to give up. She reached the port what felt like an eternity later, but what was in fact only an hour. Carefully she swam in between two ships tied to the port and climbed up the stony harbour. Water rained from her clothes as she sat on the port with her legs dangling over the water she'd come from. A silent sniffle, she twisted her large white shirt and more water dripped from her clothes. The jacket thankfully covered her now transparent shirt from exposing her chest to the world.

"Maka?"

Her head responded to the sound of her name and she wasn't surprised when she saw Stein and Marie standing behind her.

"You're okay!" Marie dived to her side and embraced her tightly, not a slight hesitation for her wet state. "I knew you would be okay! I knew you we would see you again!" She planted a kiss on her temple and held her motherly.

"Of course you would see me again. You both knew this wasn't permanent." She silently prayed to death that her tears weren't visible.

"We knew that but I was so worried about you!" Her arms tightened around her waist only making it difficult for Maka to chip for air.

"Marie." Maka squeaked as she patted her back. "Can't breathe."

"Oh! I'm sorry!" She released her and scratched the back of her head.

"We were both very worried about you." Stein spoke as he took a seat on the other side of her. "We both knew you'd trained very hard in the art of swordplay and we knew you could defend yourself." Stein retrieved a package from his pocket. Maka rolled her eyes as he retrieved a cigar and place it on his lips, lighting it with a match.

"I thought you said you cut down on your smoking." Marie narrowed her eyes threateningly at her husband.

The end of his cigar brightened and he exhaled the smoke. "Maka managed to escape unharmed from the evil clutches of Eater. I think that's something to celebrate."

Hold on.

"What are you talking about?" She cocked her eyebrow at him.

Marie tilted her head questioningly. "What do you mean? You were held prisoner by the vile Captain Soul Eater, weren't you? The Gorgon Trio helped you escape, didn't they?"

Her eyes widened as she raised her hands. "Wow." Slowly she stood up on her feet as she backpedalled from the couple. "Are you saying― _what_ are you saying?"

"We ran into the Gorgon Trio. They knew you were held captive by him and they promised they would help you escape…"

It all made sense. It all finally made sense!

Gorgon Trio was never the heroines in the stories she heard as a young child. They never stole gold and gave it to the poor. They never took down ruthless pirates to protect the sea. They never were the guardians of the sea. They were manipulative snakes who poisoned everybody's minds into thinking they were good. Just like they injected their toxic into Stein and Marie's minds, they manipulated the evidence so the rest of the crew would think there was a traitor among them.

"Those skanks!" Maka ripped at her hair as she let out a loud scream of frustration and anger.

It had always been the Gorgon Trio! They'd played the people that mattered the most to her and dirtied her character.

They were going down.

She was going to murder them.

"Maka! Language! Those sweet women―"

"They fooled you!" She raged as she thrashed with her arms. "I was never in any danger!" She stormed up to the couple. "They feed you lies and they manipulated my fellow pirates and they turned Soul against me!" Roughly she shoved her palms onto Stein and Marie's shoulders, roughly whispering. "Oh and by the way, my Captain Soul Eater proved to be my dead best friend _Solomon Evans_ if you remember him and just when I found it out and finally was reunited with him, _those bitches poisoned their minds!_ "

"Maka! Calm down!" Marie grabbed her hand and held it with both of her own. "You're raging."

"Oh I'm sorry!" Sarcasm dripped from her lips as she ripped her hand from hers. "Am I causing a scene? I think I'm allowed to cause a scene for once in my life since everything I've ever wanted _was taken away from me!_ "

"Maka!" Stein raised his voice and just like that, the blinding rage was washed off and she shrunk in submission. "I do not like raising my tone at you, but you got to calm down and inform us what the truth is. We can't figure the situation out with your emotions going haywire."

"I'm sorry." She squeaked like a mouse. If there was something she feared more than blood lusting pirates, it was her uncle raising his voice.

"Now, sit down and enlighten us." He patted the spot where she'd originally been seated.

"Oh no!" Marie shook her head. "We're taking this to our ship. Maka could catch a cold in her wet clothes!" If it was one person who could put Stein in his place, it was Marie. What she wanted, she got.

Marie wrapped her travelling mantle around Maka's shoulders as they headed down to their ship. It was much smaller than Soul's, but it was very sailable for a crew of two people. She was handed a cotton dress to wear as her clothes dried beside a bonfire Stein had lit.

Once seated by the bonfire and given a can of curry and beans, she told her story. From the moment she met Soul, to the abusing history he had, to the legendary Oni's Treasure he'd been hunting for years. She even told him about the drunken kiss in the rain they'd shared. She did censure the part when they shared a bed, telling she received his bed while he slept on the couch. Wouldn't want her uncle and aunt to think badly of him. To the moment of Ox revealing the fake evidence and the moment Stein and Marie found her soaked to the bone.

"Oh dear." Marie slowly shook her head as she rubbed Maka's bicep. "Do I have to have the talk about birds and bees with you?"

"NO!" She violently shook her head. "Soul already knows I want to wait till marriage."

"But― but― _he's a boy!_ "

"We have nothing to worry about, honeypot." Stein commented over his second cigar to Marie's displeasure. "We both know the character of Solomon. I had a hunch it was him when we saw you at the engagement ball."

Her eyes widened in shock as her grip on her tea mug tightened. "Y-you did?" Seemed like everybody found out secret identities that night.

"Of course. There aren't many men with albino traits, certainly only a handful of people with sharp teeth like his." A gentle smile grew on his face. "And the familiarity and protectiveness in his eyes gave him away. It's only one boy I've seen express that kind of feelings toward you. I knew Mr. and Mrs. Evans had some explaining to do."

Her mouth hung wide open in disbelief. Was she blind like a bat? She'd been sailing with him for over a year and she didn't even have the slightest clue it was him, but Stein figured it out in less than a minute of seeing them together.

"One more thing, Soul doesn't like being called Solomon. If you call him Soul, he would very much appreciate it." Maka took a large gulp of her hot tea. It brought out nothing like the warmth only Soul could provide.

"Of course." Marie nodded understandingly.

Maka finished her tea and she placed the mug on the floor. "It was great seeing you two again, but I need to return to my ship. I need to tell the others the truth."

"Oh no." Marie shook her head violently, her golden strands whipping her face. "You've already had a great adventure so far. You've experienced mutated animals, fought battles and sailed the seas. Don't you think it's enough? What you describe what to come sounds highly dangerous and you could end up dead."

"I can't return now." Maka grabbed a hold of Marie's hands and gave them a squeeze. "Soul and the others need me. Soul means a lot to me and he need to know the truth. I don't want him to hate me…" Her eyes sunk to the floor. His eyes. Flaming with rage and hatred toward her. She didn't want him to hate her. Not now after all they'd been through.

Marie's eyes fluttered shut as she exhaled in defeat. "I was afraid you would say so." Slowly she opened her eyes. "Alright. We'll sail after him so you can tell him the truth. But after that you're going home!" She shoved her index finger in Maka's face. "I'm not going to have you die on me!"

She smiled sheepishly as her right hand escaped behind her back to cross her fingers. "R-right!"

"Good." Marie stood up. "Now when that's clear, I think we should―"

"Ahoy Maka!" An unknown voice yelled from outside of the ship. It wasn't completely unknown, it was slightly familiar, but she couldn't quite figure out where she'd heard it before.

Quickly Stein was up on his feet and headed toward the railing. Maka was quick to follow behind. Her mouth hung open in shock when her eyes locked with the brown ones of her first foe. "Free?!" She yelled in shock, but the shock wasn't quite over yet. "Angela?!" On his shoulder sat the cute brown-haired girl waving happily at her. "What are you two doing here?! Angela you're supposed to be at the orphanage till we returned!" She couldn't help but be a little happy seeing the adorable little girl.

"I forgot to hug you a seventh time goodbye! I wanted to get another hug goodbye so I went back!" Angela grinned wide at her like Soul always did.

"And then I found her yelling for ye. I figured it was the same Maka I was searching for so I let her tag along." Free wolfishly grinned with his messy brown hair.

"You've been searching for _me?_ " Her eyes fluttered. She was sure he died when his ship sunk. They were in the middle of the _ocean!_ "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"I'm not the Immortal Wolf for no reason. I've escaped worse situations before!" He playfully gave her a thumb up. "Now are ye going to let us aboard or what? I've got juicy information 'bout Arachnophobia's plan at taking down Shibusen."

Her eyes widened and instantly she turned to her confused uncle. "Release the bridge."

He cocked his eyebrow before he slowly nodded. Finally connecting the people from her story she told them. He went to the railing and let down the bridge so they could enter the ship.

Free set down the thrashing young girl who immediately ran up to a readied Maka. Angela threw herself in her arms and hugged her tightly. Even though only a day had passed since they left Angela, she missed the young girl and rejoiced in the feeling of holding her once again.

"I've missed you." Angela squeezed her arms around Maka's neck.

"I've missed you too." Maka pulled away from Angela. "There's someone I want you to meet." She turned around and waved Marie over. Curiously Marie glanced at the small child before she approached her. "Angela, this is my aunt Marie. Marie, this is Angela."

Marie kneeled down in front of the young girl. "Hey Angela."

Angela blushed brightly and she fisted Maka's shirt. "Don't worry. She's very kind. Go on and say hi." Hesitantly, Angela neared Marie and slowly accepted her offered hand, shaking it politely. "Marie, could you please give Angela something to eat?"

She nodded. "Of course."

Timidly Angela followed Marie and Maka returned her attention on Free who stood right next to Stein. Stein critically keeping an eye on him as if he would attack her like a wolf. "Now. You said something about information about Arachnophobia." She spat out the name of the ship she once wanted to join.

"I first want to thank ye for saving me back then. And also ye too."

Stein's eyebrows raised in shock. "Me?"

"Yes. Without ye, I wouldn't have remembered Maka distracting her Captain for me to escape an' the fact I never returned the favour." This wasn't the perfect opportunity to admit she didn't do it on purpose. "I want to settle me debt to ye by offerin' ye information I gathered an' offer ye me services."

"Let me guess, you got another crew killed and another ship sunk?"

Free nervously massaged the back of his neck as he sheepishly smiled at her. "Well, I wouldn't put it _that_ way―"

"You can do whatever Free, just give me the information." She hurried.

"Fine. I overheard a conversation between Asura an' a strange man who wasn't a part of his crew talk at the back of an alley this night. He mentioned yer name an' how he would take care of ye so Eater would be in a weak state of mind an' he would eliminate Shibusen's strongest swordsman― swordswoman in one stone."

It had to be one of the Gorgon Trio. It was them who messed with Stein and Marie's heads. It had to be one them arranging to bring her down. There was no one else who could come up with such a vile plan.

"The man then said to make sure the ship stayed on the course to go to some island an' that's when Arachnophobia would ambush them an' sink Eater's ship for good."

"Do you know the location where they've planned their ambush?" Maka quickly questioned.

Free grinned wolfishly as he settled his hands on his hips. "It's no other place than at the end of Death Passing. They'll sail through the river an' Arachnophobia will fire their cannons as soon as they exit."

"We go to get there before Shibusen does." Maka's fists tightened. She had to get there before Soul. It was his only chance at surviving. Her hand moved up to the silver chain he'd given her mere hours ago and held it tightly in her hand. "We got to save Shibusen."

"Maka." Stein placed his hand on Maka's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "We're four people up against a crew of full-fledged fighting machines. We can't throw ourselves into a situation without a plan."

"Oh don't you worry." Her eyebrows narrowed and she placed her hand on her uncle's. "I've got a plan."

* * *

His head rested in his hands, fingers running through his hair for the millionth time. The constant banging on the door from his right-hand-man was giving him a headache. He never got the hint that he wasn't wanted. He never gave up. He wished he was a lot more stupid than he was when he gave Black*Star the job as the right-hand-man. His drive was driving him nuts.

"Get the hint an' get the hell away from here!" Soul screamed from behind his desk as he massaged his temples. "Ye've work to do!"

"Like hell I do!" Black*Star continued to bang on his door. "I'll stand here until ye open the god damn door! Don't make me use me Godly powers an' knock down yer door!"

He sighed as his hands slid to his neck. "Gosh, just give it up already." He whispered more to himself than to Black*Star.

He didn't want to believe it was true. But all the evidence was there. All the evidence pointed to her being a traitor. He'd shared his past, his fears and his heart with her and what did he get? A knife to the back. He gave his soul to her and she threw it away like a used cigar.

Then it was the small little doubt in his heart, saying he knew Maka would _never_ betray him. She was always loyal to a fault and would never do anything to hurt him. Never do anything to betray them. That night, even after his crew rallied behind her, she was loyal to him and offered him her help. If she'd wanted, she could've attacked and it would've been the end of him. But she didn't.

He growled in annoyance as he ripped at his hair. "Fucking bilge rat!" He slammed his head against the papers on his desk.

He was completely in love with her and yet after her breaking his heart, he couldn't stop trusting and loving her. He didn't want to believe the evidence. It wasn't like Maka. Maka never was the traitor kind. She would've rather died than betray someone.

His eyes fluttered closed. It wasn't right. The whole situation wasn't right. All he wanted to do was talk to her and untangle this mess. Ox went too hard on her and giving her no opportunity to speak her side of the story. All he wanted was to talk to her and hear her out but then everything had to blow up in his face. His past came to haunt them and caused his crew to turn on him so Maka could "escape" when all he wanted to do was talk to her. Never would he put her through the death penalty. Never.

"Come on, Cap'n! I'll break down this door!"

Soul turned his head to face the journal and her bag he'd brought with him in a fit of rage toward Black*Star before he locked himself in. He'd red every chapter and every word she'd written in it. Some things he was flattered by and some things hurt him. He knew he was a disgusting abusive fuck back then and he'd made amends with her and the crew, but he still couldn't help but feel disgusted by himself. Right after the last journal entry, he couldn't help but notice the page was torn as if a page had been ripped from the journal.

The lid of her back was open and displayed the jar of ink and her quill she used to write her journal entries. His eyebrow rose at something white sticking out from the bag. Slowly he picked up the bag and threw it on his desk. Inside of her bag was a ball of wrinkled paper.

It was odd. Maka was usually a very clean and organized person.

He picked up the ball and unravelled it. It crinkled loudly and it proved to be a journal entry. He grabbed the journal and opened it up to the last known journal entry and placed the page over the ragged end. It matched. He remembered then the day they'd headed to the orphanage, he'd walked in on Maka and found her with her journal in her hands. She'd then ripped out a page and threw it into her bag. This had to be the missing page.

 _Dearest me_

 _What I'm writing is strictly between you and I, no other. I've come to discover the most horrifying fact I could ever imagine. This night I come to terms with my unknown feelings toward my Captain I uncovered. I'm ashamed and embarrassed with myself for feeling this way. I've grown highly inappropriate feelings toward my Captain. I no longer only respect him as my Captain, I cherish him close to my heart. I've developed feelings I could not tame even if I wanted to. I've come to like him more than I should._

A smile grew on his face and his heart pleasantly pounded in his heart. Of course she would only see the error in romance between a Sprog and a Captain, but not the correctness of romance between two people. Even after those romance books she adored taught her romance was never wrong.

 _I know my feelings are highly unprofessional and I do not wish to disturb the balance between professional and friendly, but I can't help but feel as if I want more._

 _When I first joined Shibusen, it was only because I couldn't find Arachnophobia and needed a place to work at, but I think in the end, I've won the lottery. Joining Shibusen was the best that could've ever happen to me. I'm very lucky to know my Captain and all serving aboard Shibusen. I feel like me wanting to pursue the Gorgon Trio was a blessing in disguise. Without my dream, I would've never found the most amazing crew and found the most amazing Captain._

 _I can't hold back or deny my feelings toward him. I truly unconditionally and ardently like him. With all my heart._

He let go of the page and couldn't help but to grin wide. "Idiot." He muttered. "Of course you would never betray me."

"HASHA!" The door crumbled and fell on the floor, revealing a proud Black*Star with his balled hands on his hips. "See?! I'm a God! I told ye I could break the door in."

"Black*Star." Soul softly spoke his name as he stood up from his chair. "Turn the ship around. We're going back to the port."

"Huh?!" Ox stepped into view to him with shock written all over his face. "B-but we're heading to Island of Lost Souls! We can't turn back now."

"We're going to. We need to pick up Maka." He went to the chair Maka's swords still rested on. He grabbed a hold of the leather and threw the swords onto his back and buckled it over his chest.

"Yes!" Black*Star pumped his fist into the air. "I knew yer God's wisdom would finally reach ye!"

He rolled his eyes as he stepped out of his cabin, feeling the hot rays of the sun hit his face delightfully. "I know now Maka's one-hundred percent innocent. She deserves to sail with us an' claim the treasure with us."

"Yeah right." Liz smirked wide toward him as she held at a rope to the sail. "Yah just want her back so yah can swap spit with her."

Tsubaki giggles next to the sister as she nodded in agreement.

"Have ye completely forgotten what she did to _us?!_ " Ox yelled in astonishment as he flailed with his arms. "She leaked information to our enemy! She used Royal Thunder to give Asura information to _destroy us!_ "

"That reminds me," Kid spoke up with his arms crossed over his chest as he neared the group beside the broken door. "Am I the only one who found this a little bit odd?"

Black*Star tilted his head toward the side. "Whadda ye saying?"

"Royal Thunder never liked Maka. He was always very hostile toward her. How do you think she would manage to train him to send messages to Arachnophobia and cooperate with her if he despised her deeply?"

"Right! I knew that!" Black*Star brushed it off. "I already told everybody 'bout that. Everybody already knew it. Ye're so slow. How could ye get the title of a reaper when ye're always so slow? Ye've to always be updated like ME!"

If he could, Kid would most likely roll his eyes to the back of his head. Not even when they discussed a serious topic would he stop for a second with his bragging.

"That's right." Tsubaki spoke up. "Royal Thunder hated everybody except Ox."

Slowly everybody's eyes set on the bald man. His jaw hung wide open as his eyes wandered to every member aboard Shibusen. "Ye think _I_ did it? That's absurd! I would _never_ do such a deed!"

"Ye _are_ awake a lot during the night. I've seen ye sneak out of bed." Sid stated.

"Yes, but can't a man be up at night without it being suspicious?"

"It's not the act itself that makes yah suspicious, it's how you're acting now." Liz tied to rope to the sail and went with confidence over to the group. "Patty an' I lived on the streets for quite some time. I know when I see someone tryin' to hide something."

Soul's eyes narrowed as his hands balled. "Ox. I want to see this note Maka allegedly was goin' to send to Arachnophobia."

"Umm," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I kind of threw it into the ocean. Ops. I didn't think it was important." He nervously laughed.

"You're lying." Liz growled.

"Maka was right beside me the whole day yesterday. She never went through me maps in search for the route we were going to take. She can do a lot of things, but reading maps is one thing she can't do." Realization hit him harder than ever. His eyes widened with disbelief as he stared at the nervous man in front of him. "Ye were alone that day on the ship. Ye refused to come with us to the bar. Only _ye_ could've unnoticed entered me cabin an' read the maps. It was _ye_ who set Maka up. _Ye are the traitor!_ "

Ox bit his lower lip as he fell onto his knees. "I only did it because of ye!" Ox quickly covered his mouth as he shook his head slowly.

Soul's eyebrows narrowed and his blood ran hot. His vision went red with raging anger. He hated the man in front of him. He was the reason Maka and him were separated. She probably hated or worse, feared him.

"Ye." Soul snarled as he pulled his sword from its holder. His eyes widened with shock and Ox made a dive for his sword, but his arm went slack when Soul's sword cut through his throat. Blood rained down on the floor and his body and head hit the floor loudly. Royal Thunder shrieked loudly and dived toward him. Before it was within range, a gun was fired and the parrot crash-landed on the ground next to his dead master, guts leaking from its stomach.

Slowly Liz lowered her gun and blew the smoke from the muzzle.

"Full speed back to Port of Demise!" Soul wiped away his blood on his dark jacket and put back his sword in its holder. "I want someone to look through Ox's belonging in search of anything related to Arachnophobia."

Everybody saluted toward him. "Aye aye Captain!"

They sailed as fast as they could back toward the port. Tsubaki was nice enough to dump the bodies into the ocean and immediately picked up on Maka's job at cleaning up the blood before it dried into the wood. Soul stood at the very front of the ship and watched as the port grew closer and closer. She had to be okay. She couldn't have been found out. He couldn't lose her now. But he had to have faith in her. She was a very skilled swordswoman and she wouldn't go down easily.

Kilik had taken it upon himself to go through Ox's stuff and found plenty of more evidence against him. Up on the main mast he found all the messages sent back and forth and they were very interested in Maka's abilities and her presence on the ship frightened them. They were in particularly interested in her influence on him. They noticed he was growing stronger. Because of her.

Asura always seemed to dangle his duties as a spy over his head, but never answered his question of _why_ he spied.

In Asura's last message to him he ordered him to eliminate Maka forever. His plan must've been to get him to end her life to leave him emotional raw.

They reached the port and as soon as the ship was within range to the port, Soul jumped off the ship. "MAKA!" He shouted her name as he ran down the port. He repeatedly called for her name in hope to receive a respond. He ran through alleys in hope of finding a trace, a clue, _something_ to lead him to her.

His eyes finally caught sight a black hat on the ground and he threw onto his knees and grabbed the hat. It was her hat. She didn't wear the hat when she dived into the sea, she had to have dropped it yesterday night.

"Maka…" He whispered as he held the hat close to his chest. "Where are you…?"

If she was on the port, he should've found her by now. Only a couple of hours had gone by since the fiasco on the morning. She couldn't have left the town that quickly. If only he could track her―

His eyes widened with realisation as he shoved his hand in one of his multiple pockets inside of his jacket. His hand shakily and stressfully went through all his pocket until his fingers bumped into the wooden box. He retrieved it and held the dark wooden box in his palm.

"Please work…" He opened the lid and revealed the spelled black stone. "Show me where Maka is."

The black stone lit up a bright green before the light shaped into a needle of a compass. It pointed away from the port and toward the open sea.

He was going to find her. Whatever it took, he was going to find her.


	17. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

They sailed the sea as fast as they could. The small ship was far from being as fast as Shibusen and they needed to catch up before Shibusen blindly went into Arachnophobia's trap. Even though Soul didn't want to see her, she had to warn him. As they sailed and the day turned to night, and night turned to day, she found herself walking back and forth in anticipation and hope of Shibusen to be sighed. They sailed far into the night and early in the morning, but Shibusen wasn't sighted.

A fear she hadn't experienced before was planted in her gut and as they sailed closer to Death Passing, the fear blossomed and plagued her mind.

First stage was an unconscious feeling something _bad_ had happened to him, stage two, images of his bloodied corpse in various positions popped up in her mind. The third stage was the most awful. The feeling that Soul was actually dead started to slowly convince her. They sailed into Death Passing without running into them. Shibusen left hours before them and even sailing a couple of hours extra didn't get them close to them.

Her heart was breaking. He could be dead. He was most likely dead. Arachnophobia had succeeded in separating them forever.

She bit her lower lip and clutched the handle of a sword she'd been given by Stein. She had to uphold faith for him. He was the strongest man she'd ever met. He could be alive. She wasn't going to give up on him until she found him. Dead or alive. Her search was _not_ over.

The large twin mountains reached for the skies and blocked out the sun. Darkness hung low as they silently sailed through the small river passage between the humongous mountains.

"The end is within sight." Stein whispered loudly. At the end of the passing a bright light of blue water and the cloud-free sky was within their view

Death Passing. Such a fitting name.

Her throat knotted and slowly she nodded. "Dock here. Free and I will scout and see if they are still there."

"Okay."

The sails creaked and the anchor splattered loudly in the water. The large stone walls trapping them in the small passing rose a good fifty yards up in the air, shadowing the sun from reaching their deck.

"Maka."

She turned around and found Angela in front of her, hands fiddling and a grimace on her face. "Do you have to go?"

"Yes." She kneeled down in front of the young girl and collected her petty hands in hers. "I have to confirm my suspicion. We won't be gone for long."

"I don't want you to go." She whined. Her delicate fingers curled around her fingers. "What if you never come back?"

"I promise I will." A soft smile spread on her face. She retrieved on hand to cup her face. "It's only going to take a while."

"You promised." She laid her own hand above hers, her small hand against her larger one. "You don't break promises."

"I wouldn't dare." She retrieved her hand, offering one last encouraging smile before she went down the stairs.

Free held the hook attached to a long rope pooling into a thick circle. "Ye think ye're ready for this?" He pulled roughly at the rope to make sure the knot would hold. It did.

"I've never been more ready." The wind caressed her cheeks and her hair flowed in the wind. She was so used to wearing her hat she'd completely forgotten the sensation of her hair in the wind.

Free exposed his sharp teeth into a large grin. "Good." He let the hook down and started to swing it in circles. The hook swung faster and faster until he released it and the rope followed dutifully. The hook reached the ledge and disappeared from their view. Free pulled a few times at the rope and his smirk widened when he deemed it safe to climb.

"I'll give you two hours." Marie spoke with strength and full of promise. "Not one second more. I'll come and I'll drag you home."

She smiled sheepishly at Marie, knowing she would recklessly cross a battlefield to get to her only to bring her back to her parents. "R-right."

"Ladies first." Free handed the rope over to Maka, she accepting it. A wave later to the three left behind, she started to climb the rope. She grunted with the effort as she braced her feet, pulling herself up on her rope and taking a new step toward her goal. Rope dug into her palms and her muscles started to ache with fatigue. She continued to climb, ignoring the pain in her hands when finally, her left hand dug into soft grass. Her other once soon followed and she pulled herself up on the ledge.

Heavily she panted as she let herself breathe and rest her muscles. The rope beside her head creaked against the stones, indicating Free had started his climb up to the top. Unlike her, he was fast and experienced. It took half the time before his nails dug into the ground and a moment later, he stood beside her with a confident smirk too familiar to Soul's.

"Ye need a hand?" He offered his tanned hand to her.

Gladly she accepted his hand and he pulled her up to her feet. "Arachnophobia would be just up ahead. Stay alert and keep quiet."

"Naturally."

The tall grass caressed her pant legs and the earth squished under her shoe. After for so long only walking on wooden floor of ships and cobble stone streets, it was nice for a change. The sun blazed with full strength. She covered the sun with her hand as they continued to move toward the ledge of the cliff met the ocean. The wind violently ripped at her hair loose hair and her silver pin shone brighter than ever before.

They continued to walk pass wild flowers and cute small bushes and the ledge crawled closer. A brown wooden pole slowly appeared and grew taller the closer they came. Instinctively Maka ducked and yanked the oblivious Free down.

"Look." She whispered and pointed toward the top of what seemed to be a mast.

"Look at that. It has to be Arachnophobia." Free smirked wide toward her. "Seems that Captain of yers hasn't gotten here."

"That's impossible. They left before us. How could we've gotten here before them?"

Free shrugged his shoulders and directed his eyes back to the mast. "We should go a little closer an' confirm it really is Arachnophobia an' see if they're still waitin' for Shibusen."

Maka nodded. "Right."

Both of them bent down to their knees, slowly nearing the ledge and cautiously stepping over dead twigs from the bushes. If it was Arachnophobia, the enemy could be anywhere. They could be the bushes they went by or disguised as larger boulders atop the mountain passing.

Watchfully Maka lay down on her stomach, Free soon followed as they silently crawled for the exception for dry grass shaping against their bodies. Carefully Maka brushed aside purple and red maggots out of her way. The mast grew and top branches and a sail appeared from it. Jolly Roger flickered in the wind playfully.

Free glanced at Maka and slowly nodded, confirming her suspicion. It could only be Arachnophobia at this particular location. It couldn't be Shibusen. Their Jolly Roger was at the top main mast, while this, Jolly Roger greeted their eyes from a rope going down the top mast. The placement had to be so they could quickly take off Jolly Roger and disguise as a friendly ship. Manipulative pirates. Controlling everybody's thoughts as soon as they could. Pure madness.

With her index and middle finger, she pointed forward and cautiously they sneaked to the end of the cliff. Attentively Maka peeked down at the ship and indeed, it was Arachnophobia. Giriko, the man with a plethora of piercings rested his elbows against the railing of the ship with his back facing them. The ship was with its port side directed toward the mouth of the water passing between the two mountains, cannon windows already open and ready for Shibusen to arrive.

Medusa and Shaula were seated on the stairs up to the rear end of the ship, chatting away and giggling sinisterly. Probably rejoicing in Maka's separation from Soul and his now hatred toward her.

Her eyes squinted at seeing a man in a basket and a younger man standing beside him. The older man seemed aloof and his eyes were closed as the younger man, maybe a year or two younger than Maka, had his hands clasped and adoration toward the older man sparkled in his eyes. She didn't recognize the two men.

On the floor laid a blonde man with his arms crossed behind his head and eyes closed in content to their luck. Right leg peacefully draped over the other and bumping to the rhythm of a beat in his head.

Seated on the railing near the stairs up to the rear of the ship was and older man with grey hair and wrinkles decorating his face. He shielded his eyes from the raging sun with a fancy top hat far too unfitting for a pirate life. And for his damaged clothes. His eyes were narrowed as if he tried to pierce daggers through the Captain seated on the stairs with Arachne cuddled between his legs. Absentmindedly the Captain twirled a black strand around his index finger and Arachne inspected her black nail polish with narrowed eyebrows.

Free bumped her elbow with his and leaned toward her. "The old guy, don't underestimate him." Free whispered as quietly as he could into her ear. "He's got a deadly aim."

Maka nodded in response.

"So what's yer great plan?"

"We've to sabotage the ship." Alertly she pointed her index finger toward the open cannon windows where the mouths of the cannons were pushed out of them. "If we take out the cannons, they won't be able to ambush Shibusen."

"How are ye expecting us to get rid of the cannons? Isn't it better to wait for Shibusen an' join their forces?"

She shook her head, her hair whipping her cheeks. "Out of question. Even if they and believed us, they wouldn't be able to turn the ship around. A small squad to take out their cannons is a better approach than a whole army."

"The question still stands. How on hell are we goin' to take out the cannons?"

"This mountain is full of boulders. If we tip one of the ledge, it will hit their port side and crush the port side of the ship."

"She's not only pretty, but got brains too." Free waggled his eyebrows and Maka rolled her eyes in return. "Relax. I know. Captain Eater would skin me alive if I made a move on his woman."

"Correction, _I_ would skin you alive and _I_ would throw you to Giriko as if you were a bone. Then they would be distracted, giving Shibusen plenty of time to attack." She leaned closer to him and smirked toward the nervous pirate. "Which plan do you prefer?"

Anxiously he massaged the back of his neck. "I am the Immortal Wolf, but let's stick with the first plan."

Her sinister smirk was replaced with a kind smile as she leaned away from him. "Good." Her attention returned to the resting pirates aboard Arachnophobia. They were quite peaceful. Not lifting a finger or scouting for an oncoming ship.

"Do you think that boulder will do?"

She didn't direct her eyes toward her fellow pirate. Her eyes narrowed at the pale woman resting her back against her Captain's chest.

Something was wrong.

"Fr―"

Giriko wiped around and his narrowed cocky eyes locked with hers. His hand snatched a rope resting against the railing beside him and with one powerful thug, the rope tightened. From his grip, the rope led back to them, right to the rocks they lay on.

"The ground!" Maka yelled. Both of them jumping up on their feet as the ground gave away. A shriek of surprise ripped at her vocal cords as they fell. Free's hand quickly caught her wrist. His feet pushing away from the cliff wall and they went soaring through the air. He grabbed a hold of the rear sail, the cloth ripping as they went down. Pain blasted in her feet as they crash-landed aboard Arachnophobia.

"Ouch." Her fingers curled as her feet burned painfully. It was a milder pain compared to falling against the cliff wall and smacking into the water. If it wasn't for Free's quick thinking, they would've both been dead.

Two pair of black boots moved into her vision. "Well do ye look at that?" Her eyes climbed up the legs and settled on Giriko's face. "Seems like Noah was right about two rats goin' to spy up there." He grinned wide.

"O'course he was!" The younger boy standing next to the man yelled as if he's personally been offended. "Noah's never wrong!"

"Enough Gopher." The older man Maka assumed to be Noah, spoke as he pushed himself away from the railing. The younger man, Gopher, grimaced as he quickly followed after him. "Let's get this over with. Aren't Shibusen supposed to arrive soon?"

Maka's heart fluttered happily and she couldn't help but smile through the pain. They had miraculously sailed _passed_ them and arrived before them. Everybody was still okay― _Soul_ was okay!

"We've got plenty of time to mess with our new toys." Giriko's smirk grew wider as his eyes directed back toward Maka's. "Gotta return the favour." His nose Maka had once broken was fully healed, but now a metal went horizontal over his nose. Probably covering the scar she'd given him.

Her nose wrinkled and she bared her teeth at him predatorily. She carefully moved her foot in circles only receiving a bearable ache of pain. Good.

"I would like to see you try." Quickly, she gazed toward the side to Free. In the small moment their eyes met, he red her mind as if she was an open book. Barely visible he nodded.

"Oh really?" He leaned closer to her with his back crooked ninety degrees. "I'll fuck up yer face."

A smirk grew on her face. "Ditto." His nose cracked loudly as her palm once again greeted his nose. He grunted in pain and clasped his nose. Free instantly was on his feet with his sword already drawn.

Metal shrieked as the crew aboard Arachnophobia drew their swords and pointed them toward Free and Maka. Instinctively Maka pressed her back against Free's. "You take care of the cannons." Her hand tightened on her sword. "I'll hold them off."

Medusa broke out laughing. "Pathetic!" Her golden eyes locked with hers as if she was a snake stalking on her prey, ready to jump the line and kill. Not going to happen. "Little girl, have ye taken a closer look at who ye're up against?"

Maka snorted, immediately shifting her sword from Giriko's glaring eyes to Medusa who took a step toward her. "I don't need to. You're all going to end up _dead._ "

"Ha! As if!" Shaula interjected.

"What a delusional child." Arachne spoke with superiority.

"You fed my fellow pirates lies. You got what you wanted. Now I'm going to punish you all for poisoning their minds." Her eyes narrowed at the blond woman in front of her, the one she once admired so. They were all going to regret messing with Maka Albarn.

"Not quite." Medusa stuck out her tongue as if she was a snake and attacked. Their swords collided and a frustrated growl escaped Maka's throat. Metal clashed and Free let out a loud predatorily battle cry and metal clashed from both sides. Medusa's eyes stayed fixated on hers with her infuriating grin on her face. Clashing swords with the wannabe snake made her blood boil and her rage to break through its peak and aimed toward the skies.

Violently she swung her sword from the left. Medusa blocked. Then right. Blocked. From above to then try to slash her from below. There was not a single angle she didn't try to attack the grin-wearing woman.

Maka growled loudly as she tried to stab Medusa in the heart only to be blocked. Medusa pitifully shook her index finger at her. "Ah, ah, ah, aren't ye going to put down yer sword before ye hurt yourself."

"Never!" She pushed Medusa away and leapt toward her, sword high and ready to strike. She saw red. How dare she insult her. How dare she look down on her. She had the guts to manipulate her crew and then Marie and Stein. And now to insult her. She was going to make her father regret even daring to put his ding-dong into her mother's hooha.

Her blood pulsed loudly in her head and all she was saw red. The metal of their swords violently clashed, but none of them hitting soft flesh and spilling valuable blood.

Her breathing sped up. Whatever she did, whatever angle she slashed at and how much she wanted Medusa lying on the ground with blood pouring out of her stomach _it wasn't happening!_

Medusa effortlessly blocked the attack. Her grip tightened on the handle of her sword to the point her knuckles paled. "Foolish girl."

She let out a battle cry and slashed at her from the right, Medusa's face remained neutral and it pinched every nerve in her body. Why wasn't she afraid? Soul's own eyes for a long time ago widened with shock and glimpses of fear sparked in his eyes, _why wasn't hers?_

"Maka." Free cried out from behind her.

Maka blatantly ignored him. Favouring the raging pulse in her head and the clash of metal.

"Ye gotta calm down!"

She was going to bring her down. _Now!_

A low growl vibrated at her collarbones as she swung her sword from the right. Medusa's eyes stayed and her sword clashed with metal. But not from Medusa's sword. The back of her gloved hand stopped her, a metal piece gleamed in the sun's rays. A wide grin spread as she thrusted her sword toward Maka.

She couldn't breathe. Her shirt constricted around her throat as a sharp pain coursed through her shoulder. The wind ripped at her hair as she soared through the wind, over the railing and hitting hard flesh when she was supposed to hit the ground. Her head whipped around and she saw the wolfish grin of Free.

"Ye got _too_ much fire in ye. How does yer Captain manage?" He joked as Maka quickly rolled off him, her shoulder aching in the process. Her hand pressed against her wounded left shoulder. The warm red liquid stuck to her hand. The wound wasn't deep. More like a cut. Nothing that could prevent her from fighting.

"That's the thing." She stood up on her feet and glared at the crew standing at the top of the stairway. "He doesn't."

"Seriously, fighting like that will get ye killed." Free joined beside her and stared at their awfully still opponents. Medusa wearing a large grin as she waved her bloodied sword toward her. "Ye're not thinking rationally. We're up against powerful enemies. Ye need to calm down an' think strategically. Like ye did to defeat me. That's the kind of thinkin' we need right now."

Slowly Maka nodded.

Her anger had gripped her and she'd only thought about revenge. Revenge of what she'd lost due to their manipulation. He was right. Her anger had clouded her judgment and controlled her like a puppet, just like Medusa and the others had controlled Stein and Marie. It was exactly what Medusa wanted. She'd been played like a fool. She'd fuelled her anger for her to get reckless, giving her an easy opening to strike her dead.

She inhaled deeply, releasing it after holding it in for a few moments.

Calm was exactly what she needed.

Medusa's eyes slowly narrowed at Maka's lack of reaction. Maka could tell she knew her plan had been figured out. The grin from her face slowly disappeared and was replaced with a tense line. "You little―" She turned her face to lock with her fellow pirate Giriko whom rubbed his sore nose.

"Ye failed. Now it's me turn to fuck her up."

Immediately Maka turned to Free, her hair whipped her cheeks and shoulders. "You get down right now and stop those cannons. I'll cover for you." She said as Giriko drew his sword.

"Don't die." Free spun around, jumping down the hatchet and slammed it shut.

"Justin." Asura calmly spoke as Giriko descended the stairs with hunger for revenge in his eyes.

The blonde man― Justin placed his arm over his chest as he bowed slightly toward Asura. "Yes, Captain."

Giriko cried a battle cry and charged at her with his sword held high. "I'll rip yer pussy apart!" His sword fell toward her and she quickly parred it. Violently his sword crashed into hers and she saw a mirror-image of what she'd looked like mere minutes ago. His sword was filled with rage and his mind filled with revenge, thirst for blood and anger. Just like she was.

His attacks were quick. Almost as quick as hers. His defences were lowered for every swing of his sword. He got reckless to keep up his guard to her advantage.

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips as he stabbed air where her head had once was. Instantly she grabbed the sword and prepared to kick him. Giriko's eyes widened in shock as her leg came soaring toward his chest.

A sword went right toward her arm holding his sword. She let go of it and rolled toward the side and up to her feet, separating herself from Giriko and Justin. She'd completely forgotten everything about him.

"You got to be more careful if you want to keep your soul." Justin spoke with grace.

"Bah! Like a bitch could kill me!" Giriko spat at Justin and threw a tantrum as if he was a child. "I'm just messin' around with her. Makin' her _think_ she can win."

Justin rolled his eyes at Giriko's blatant lie. "As you say, but you know, until we've obtained Oni's immortality, our Lord Shinigami could collect our souls at any moment."

"Don't try lecturin' me, ye punk!"

"When I was ' _lecturing'_ you, our enemy is sabotaging our cannon. Still wanting to talk while our enemy gets time to do damage."

Giriko's eyes widened and he cursed loudly. "Fuckin' hell, ye bitch!" And without warning Giriko leapt back into a swordfight with Maka. Their swords crashed. Giriko swung his sword at her. She blocked. From the corner of her eyes, she spied Justin simply walking passed her. He dived into the hatchet.

Damn it. She couldn't have stopped him.

"Watch out, Free!" She exclaimed.

Giriko stabbed the air. Maka bending her back, the sword right above her nose. She slapped the sword away. She thrusted her sword at his chest. He dodged to the right.

Wood cracked from below. It could only have been Free. "Finished!" He hollered.

Giriko's sword almost stabbed her left thigh. "Retreat!" Maka shouted. Her shoulder's relaxed only for a moment. But a moment too long. Giriko's foot planted in her gut. She flew through the air. Landed hard on the railing, her hand slapping against a net, falling down hard on the ground. The wind knocked out of her lungs, she gasped for air. Giriko's boots clicked on the floor as he neared her.

Shit. No. She had to get up!

She grunted as she sat up. Giriko let out a battle cry, rushing toward her with his sword held high. She gasped. Panicky she grabbed a hold of a rope tied to the railing and severed it. The rope powerfully tugged her out of the way and into the air. The rope connected to the sail ripped her toward the branch of the mast. She let go of it and grabbed a hold of the branch. Her wounded shoulder ached as her feet dangled in the air ten yards above the floor. She climbed up on the branch and sat on it. Giriko's face red as lava and his fists balled.

Okay. She was safe. For now. She had to thank Black*Star.

How was she going to get out of there? Free was probably at somewhere safe. He was a master of survival and compared to him, she was only a novice.

It wouldn't take long before someone pulled out a gun and aimed it at her or climbed the net.

Her eyes moved to the massive amount of sails they had. The sail she'd freed flickered in the wind, occasionally covering the view of the pirate Captain and the crew beside him.

Of course!

She got up on her feet and instantly started to run over the branch. She had to thank Sid. She glanced in every direction, the sails covered her from her enemies watchful eyes, buying her some time to figure out how she could escape the ship unnoticed.

"Argh!" Free cried out loudly to her shock. Wood was kicked and boots dragged on the floor.

"Miss! I think we have something that interests―"

She came to a shrieking stop and whipped around toward the sound.

"Don't come out! Get out of here!" Free screamed. Shortly after followed the sound of bones colliding.

"Now, now, I don't think you would want your friend to end up hurt, don't you?" Her eyes narrowed at Justin's voice.

Her jaw clenched and her grip on her sword tightened. They must've caught him. How on earth could they? He was the _Immortal Wolf!_ He escaped Shibusen when all his men were killed and his ship sunk. Well, they might've been in the middle of an argument― but that wasn't the point! He was stupid and a very reckless pirate, when it came to attacking ships, but he knew how to escape. He was the lone wolf and he knew how to take care of himself.

So what had gone wrong?

She shook her head. It wasn't the time to criticize him for failing. He was in trouble and she needed to help him. But _how?_ Arachnophobia held him as hostage and if she would surrender, it would be the end. Giriko would kill her off and she would break her promise to Angela. She promised to return, she couldn't break her promise. The world was already against her, she wasn't going to abandon her. Not to forget, she wanted to see Soul more than anything and clear the air. She needed to protect him from Arachnophobia.

Her eyes slid shut with dejection only for a moment before she appeared from behind the sails, seeing Free in a headlock with Justin's sword against his throat. Free's eyes widened and tugged at his shoulder, only causing Justin to tighten his grip on him. His jaw slowly blossomed and irritated red skin shifted to a blue bruise.

"Drop your sword if you want your friend to live." He hissed loudly.

"Don't listen to him! Go―"

Giriko punched Free in the head, the force whipped his head to the side.

This wasn't the end. There would be more opportunities to escape. For now, surrendering would be the best plan at saving Free's life.

Her arm reached out and her sword pointed toward the ground. Her index finger let go of the handle and the others followed. The sword was gone from her hand and fell to the floor, the blade piercing the wood.

"Raise yer hands into the air." Giriko said with a large shit-eating grin on his face, Justin's eyebrow rising questioningly. He strolled toward the sword impaled on the floor, wiggling a bit before he pulled it out. Effortlessly he tossed it over the railing and a loud _'splash'_ followed. Her only accessible weapon gone.

"Giriko." Asura descended from the stairs. "What are you doing?"

"'thing to worry 'bout, Cap'n." His razor sharp teeth gleamed in the sun light. "I'm goin' to put on a show for everybody to enjoy."

Asura paused for a moment. "Fine. Mosquito, Gopher an' Noah, you go an' check the cannons an' see what damage they dealt to them."

"Aye, aye, Captain." They said. Noah, Gopher and the old man who must be Mosquito disappeared down the hatchet.

"This better be good Giriko." Asura took a seat at the bottom stair with his legs spread dominantly and his arms crossed.

"It will be." Giriko flipped on his heels toward Justin with glee. "Get the dog up on the mast."

"Hey! I'm a wolf―"

"Shut up." Justin hissed in his ear.

Giriko disappeared down the hatch as Justin struggled with getting Free up the net to the branch Maka was at. He was allowed to climb on his own, but Justin's sword was pressed right at his back, allowing him no chance at escaping. They arrived right next to her, his hand up in the air like hers.

Noah appeared from the hatchet and lumbered over to Asura. "He messed up the cannons really well. The ropes are severed and the cannon's frames are severely damaged. Firing them could cause damages on our ship."

"What kind of damages are we talking about?"

"They're highly unpredictable in their aims. They could completely backfire an' bust the ship open."

"What do you suggest?"

"I could patch up one cannon to make it fireable to when Shibusen tags along."

A smirk formed on Asura's face and he nodded toward him. "Do it."

At least something good came out of their little mission. The cannons were out of order, but in the end, they'd failed.

Giriko jumped up from the hatchet and raced up the net to the branch with rope around his chest. She hadn't a good feeling about this. He balanced over to them, first tying their hands behind their backs, cutting the rope with his sword. Her stomach turned to ice when she saw the two pirates tying nooses.

Maka gulped loudly as the nooses were tied on the branch above theirs and lowered in front of them.

"Maka." She turned toward Free standing beside her, hands tied behind his back and a noose in front of him. "Don't worry."

Don't worry? Giriko was putting a _noose_ around her neck and he wanted her to not worry? Geez, like wearing a noose around your neck like it was the most attractive new jewellery trend among the aristocrats wasn't a big deal? One little push and she was _dead_.

Giriko tightened the noose and the rope dug into her throat. Justin tightened Free's. Giriko ordered Justin to descend the net. He turned toward the Captain with a large sinister smile that could rival the devil himself. "Bitches an' men, who wants to play the real version of Hangman?!"

Was he serious?

"Are ye for real?" Shaula yelled.

"Do I look like I'm fucking around?" He pointed toward his blank face. "This's exactly the fun I need."

Shaula rolled her eyes at him and leaned toward the railing on the lower deck. "Fine. But I'm not playing. Yell when Shibusen arrives." She headed toward the sleeping ward and disappeared inside of it.

"Come on! I'm thinking of a word with four letters."

"It's dick." Medusa absentmindedly spoke.

Giriko's eyebrow twitched and his hands balled in annoyance. "Fine! I'll pick a different word then―"

"Make sure to pick a different word than fuck." Arachne spoke and the two remaining sisters laughed at Giriko's predictableness.

Giriko's face was hot with anger and steam aroused from his ears. "This word has five letters. Who wants to guess first?"

His eyes settled on the two sisters and Captain around the stairway with fire in his eyes. Captain Asura simply looked at the mouth of Death Passing where Shibusen could arrive at any given moment. Arachne examined her nails as Medusa rested her chin in her hand, caught in a daydream.

"Come on! Guess!"

Medusa was snapped out of her thoughts. "As if!"

"This was your doing. You'll have to play it by yourself." Arachne pitched in as she carefully examined her right index finger.

He growled in annoyance and stomped like a child throwing a tantrum. "Fuck y'all! Be bitches nibblin' on mold!" He whipped around and when his eyes set on hers, a chill ran down her spine, casting a cold spell on her body. With a large smirk on his face, he roughly slapped his hand on Maka's back. She gasped and lost balance for a second and her eyes fell down to the floor. It was a long, long, long way down to the ground. "How 'bout we play a game of Hangman." The sinfulness reeked off his body. "If ye manage to guess the word, ye'll become me shiny new sex toy." He pointed his finger toward Free. "But ye'll still die."

"We refuse." Maka hissed and narrowed her eyes, inhale deeply to calm down her pounding heart.

"Oh well." He sighed dejectedly. Maka's eyelashes fluttered with confusion. "I guess we could arrange something different. Maybe we could release you and―" his hand fisted in her hair and roughly pushed her face down. A cry of pain and surprise ripped her throat.

"Maka!" Free wiggled his hands, trying to free himself. "Ye monster!"

"If ye don't play, I'll push ye off an' I'll ravage yer corpse!" Giriko spat in her ear roughly and a shiver of disgust shook her body. Her eyes squeezed shut in pain and refusal to stare down at where she could hang dead in the wind for Soul to see the moment he sailed out of Death Passing.

"Okay!" His grip on her hair loosened slightly. "We'll play!"

"Listen, Maka, we don't need to do this. I owe already owe you me life—"

"Shut up!" Maka flinched when Griko's fist connected with Free's face. His head whipped to the side and for a second, he lost his balance. Maka gasped as he balanced on one foot, before his foot found the branch. Maka exhaled in relief as his arms joined to his side.

"Now guess before I throw ye to yer death! Five letters!" Giriko barked at them.

Maka gulped. Okay, the letters of the alphabet. To figure out what word he thought of, she needed to think like him. Her face relaxed into a bored facade like Giriko and Soul usually did when they didn't expose their sharp teeth. Okay, he must be obsessed with rum, disrespect women and using women sexually. Dark mind. Okay, she could do this.

Where should she start? Maybe… asshole?

"A?" She said.

Giriko grimaced. "Ye're lucky. Second last letter."

Second last letter… A… five letters… it couldn't be asshole… She had to think about this. Curse words… curse words… Creep? Whore? Clusterfuck? Maybe C was a good letter to try.

"C?"

His eyes sparked and a grin quickly followed. "Wrong. First out of three strikes."

"Three?!" Free exclaimed. "Ye can't draw limbs an' a head with three strokes!"

"I make the rules." She hated his grin. "Two chances left."

"How about an F then?" F as in fuck and fuckbag. Not five letter words, but they could give her a clue of what the word was.

"Strike number two." His head tilted slightly downward, creating shadows under his eyes, appearing as if he was sent from hell to damn the living. Mermaids existed. Demons could to. She wouldn't be surprised.

She bit her lower lip. "R?"

His grin faded and he sneered at her. "Last letter."

Okay. Another letter. Three letters, the last two A and R. Fukar? Or maybe Fuqar? She wouldn't be shocked if he misspelled the word. But she'd already tried F and it only gave her a second strike. One more error would break her and Free's necks. Even though she'd tried to think like him, she wasn't doing well. What could his word be?

Her teeth nibbled at her lower lip. If she answered wrong, she would have to live with the guilt of causing Free's death. Or not. They would both end up dead. Her eyes squeezed shut. One guess would get them both killed. One more reckless guess and she would bring Free down with her. If it was only her… then maybe she could―

"I'll take the last guess."

Her eyes snapped open and gazed at Free whom smiled comfortingly back at her. He must've seen the struggle written on her face. She needed to close the book to make sure no one red her so clearly.

"Then let's hear it." Giriko cracked his knuckles. "I'm waiting."

"X"

Her eyes widened at Free. X? What was he thinking?! What letter had X! Did he want to kill them both off? Why didn't he try to―

"The word was Cigar." Giriko neared her and her blood ran cold.

"But it has a C in it!" She shouted as the wind clawed at her clothes.

He chuckled like a true demon. "Ops. My bad." He kicked her ankles and she completely lost her balance. A scream tore her throat. Her back hit the branch and she squeezed her eyes shut. She fell.

This was it.

The wind caught her screams. The noose weighted heavily around her neck.

Any moment now.

Rope shrieked loudly. Warm embrace of Shinigami wrapped around her.

Her body jolted. She was still breathing. Her eyes snapped open to meet the red eyes of her beloved, staring into her eyes with relief. His arms secured her to her chest as she sat on his lap. His warmth melting her into a puddle of mush.

He was here.

 _He was here._

She wasn't going to die.

"I'm sorry I made you wait." Never before had she been so happy and content hearing his husky voice. Never before had his fingertips running from her temple to her jaw produced so much oxytocin and ecstasy. His hands wandered to her face and down her arms behind her back, shivers ran through her body. A cold blade came to her wrist and with a quick cut, the ropes were gone from her wrists. She brought them to her front and massaged her sore wrists where the rope had painfully dug into her skin.

She felt like weeping. "I'm so glad to see you again." Her shaky hands snaked around his neck and brought him into a hug. His warmth. The tight embrace. His smell tickling delightfully her nose. This was real. She wasn't hallucinating.

"Damn it all!"

Maka's head snapped toward Giriko's still on the mast's branch. But so wasn't Free. He fell toward the ground. A knife soared through the air, severing his rope.

"Free!" She tried to get up, Soul's arms around her tightened and Free landed hard on the ground. A cry of pain filled the air and Maka gasped in shock at the odd angle his legs twisted. Her head snapped back to Soul's and he shook his slowly. "You would've been crushed."

"YAHOOO!" Shadows flickered on the various sails before boots landing on the wooden floor drowned out Free's grunts of pain. The whole crew― almost the whole crew, Black*Star with Tsubaki in his arms, Kid, Liz and Patty stood behind them.

They'd been hiding. Simply waiting for the right moment to attack.

Black*Star set Tsubaki down who, quickly hurried over to her. "Ye dared to harm me most trusted follower! I'll kill ye all!" He pointed toward the two pirates and pirate Captain leisurely seated on the stairway.

Tsubaki dived down to her side and caught sight of her bloodied shoulder. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

She shook her head and Soul's knife came to rest against her neck as he carefully cut the noose, removing it and throwing it away. "I'm fine. It's only a scratch. You need to help Free."

"Why?" Soul questioned and familiarly he raised his eyebrow.

"He's the one who warned me of Arachnophobia. They were going to ambush you and sink your ship. He promised he would help me stop them." She grabbed Tsubaki's hands, holding them in a firm grasp. "You got to help him."

She glanced for a second at the man withering in pain, holding his crooked legs. "I'll try." She said lowly, hurrying over to him.

"So you decided to stop playing monkey-boy?" Their heads snapped toward Asura standing up from his seat on the stairs.

"Asura." He spat through his clenched teeth. He started to get up on his feet, Maka hurried to get off his lap as he stood up, stretching out his usually bent back. "Ye mess with me crew. Ye mess with me woman. Ye mess with me." Rapidly he pulled his sword from its holder and aimed it toward his greatest rival. "Let's end this! Right here! Right now!"

"Yes!" Maka stood in front of Soul protectively. "Let's end this once and for all."

Laughter broke out from above, Giriko clutched his stomach as laughter shook the boat as it shook his body. "Are ye kidding me?! Like a bitch like ye could do anything up against _Captains!_ " The rest of the crew joined in and laughed. Maka's eyebrows narrowed and her hands balled.

A hand placed on her shoulder an she knew instantly it was Soul's. Only his warmth could heat her frozen body and make her stomach flutter like butterfly wings. "You shouldn't get involved in this." He purred into her ear. "But not because we're up against a strong foe. But because this is my battle."

Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip and nibbled on it anxiously. She knew all too well he was right. Asura murdered his Captain in cold blood. He was the one who manipulated everybody into thinking she was a traitor. His drive to murder the man was greater than hers. As much as she wanted to help him, keep him safe from harm and shield him from the horrifying images of the past, she couldn't. Only he could.

His hand abandoned her shoulder and moved to a buckle going across his chest. Her eyes widened when she recognize the leather and the golden buckle. "Soul."

He unbuckled it and took off the twin sword from his back, handing over the swords he gave her months ago. "You're going to need this." She accepted the swords and worked the holders on her own back, buckled the belt over her chest. His fingertips hovered over her jaw, almost tracing her jawline with his tips.

"Soul. I―"

"Don't worry about me." His fingers ran down her neck and settled on her shoulder once again. "This isn't the end."

It wasn't what she was going to say.

He aimed his narrowed eyes full of pent up hatred and anger toward the rival Captain. "Hope ye're ready to join Shinigami."

He snorted. "Let's raise the stakes." A wide grin spread on his face. "The dead Captain has to surrender his crew, ship an' most importantly; the immortality."

Her eyes widened. "Soul―"

"Fine." He took a step closer to his archenemy, his boots clicked loudly as of a shattering mirror. The tension too strong to bear of its own. "Swords only. No pistols."

Asura slowly drew his sword and lumbered closer to Soul. "Deal."

Giriko quickly hurried down the net with excitement clear on his sinister face as he joined his gathering crewmembers behind his Captain. Shaula appeared from the sleeping ward and Mosquito, Noah and Gopher joined shortly after. Black*Star helped Tsubaki drag the wounded man away from the awaiting battlefield safely behind the rest of the crew of Shibusen.

Tension was building. The wind whistled too loudly. The creaks of the boat wrecked every nerve in her body. The piercing stares of equally red eyes. The clench and unclench of Soul's hand on his sword. The waves brushed the walls of ship Arachnophobia. Her breath was caught in her throat. Her hands tightened on her golden buckle on her straps. She couldn't handle the tension. The loaded air of repressed hatred and anger toward the other.

This was the end. The end of one's book and the other's chapter.

This is where it will all end.

"Well, aren't ye goin' to attack me?" Asura mocked with a smirk playing on his lips. "Aren't ye goin' to avenge yer dear joke of a Captain?"

Soul stood silent. No words needed to be spoken. His hand tightening on his handle spoke volumes.

Asura chuckled huskily. "Pathetic. Ye couldn't save him then, an' ye know what?" His eyes glimmered with the same sinister spark she'd seen in Giriko's eyes. "Ye won't be able to protect yer crew. Yer joke of a girlfriend. Just like ye couldn't―"

"Shut up!" Maka's shoulder's tightened and her eyes widened as if a deadly attack was launched on her, and in fact, it was. She felt naked. Exposed under the Captain's eyes set on her.

He knew her true identity.

"Go on 'en." He opened his arms wide. "Go on an' strike me. Go on an' avenge yer foolish Captain!"

"Shut up!"

"Make me."

He growled loudly and the tension reached its boiling point. Soul roared loudly and leapt toward the Captain. Swords clashed and the tension shattered into millions of pieces. Swords collided and sparks flew from the intensity of their clashing stares.

Maka's jaw hung open and she gazed at the two murder-machines. Swords were aimed and parried from vital spots of the body. Soul's firing hatred was in flames and the air flickered violently. She could almost feel his burning hatred as if she was stuck in an inferno of flames.

Her breath was stolen.

He truly was the pirate Captain of the Gorgon Trio. He was just as sly and manipulative as the Trio. Her spine froze and her gut turned to ice. He could get reckless. He could get carried away. _He could end up killed!_

She had to warn him.

"S―"

Her mouth was covered by flesh and bones. "Don't." Kid muttered into her ear. "If you interfere, the fight would be broken and the whole ship would become a battlefield."

Maka flipped around and met Kid's golden eyes. "And let him _die?_ " She hissed lowly at him not to disturb the fight.

"You would definitely kill the guy if you interfere." He nodded toward Free who bit down on a piece of wood as Tsubaki worked her hands on his wounded legs.

She could protect him. She could keep him out of harm's way. _She could save him!_

"Maka. I know what you're thinking. You can't protect everybody."

She could. She knew she could protect everybody. If only given the chance, she could protect the people she loved. If only she'd pulled herself together, she could've saved Free from breaking his legs. If only she was given a chance, she could protect everybody she held dear.

She bit her lower lip, turned to face Soul fencing against Asura. If only he gave her the chance, she could protect him. They could fight together against him.

But now, he was beyond her reach. And if she reached out to him, she would be met with snarls of anger and narrowed eyes.

Her hands balled into fists at her side.

All she could do was to stand back and believe in him.

Soul grunted loudly. He stabbed air. Asura in returned slashed above his head. Maka's breath hitched.

He ducked. His boot connected with Asura's stomach. He went flying and landed roughly on the ground. His wind was knocked out of his lungs and Soul grinned cockily toward the man. Asura sat up, a line of blood running down his lower lip.

"Lucky shot." He steadily rose on his feet. "But yer luck has run out."

"Far from it." His head twitched toward her direction. He leapt toward Asura. Swords conflicted. Eyes threw daggers. Electricity sparking at their fingertips and boots squeaked on the wooden floor. The atmosphere once again heavy with the magnitude of the outcome of the battle.

Asura's sword stabbed the air. Blood flew and Maka's breath hitched. Blood poured out of the slash in his cheek. Eyes fixated, he continued to press on.

Soul's sword flew toward Asura. Blocked. A counter from Asura.

Maka's breath was gone. Soul dropped his sword and charged toward the man with a loud roar. Asura stumbled backward from the force and hit the railing hard. His fist raised and connected with Asura's jaw. Repeatedly his fist hit the same spot until a loud bone-breaking sound erupted.

Flesh and fabric tore. A bloody sword burst through the fabric of Soul's jacket. Soul's grunt of pain was quickly drowned out by Maka's scream of horror. She couldn't believe it. She _refused_ to accept this! This couldn't happen! Not to him!

"Soul!" Kid fisted her jacket, preventing her from aiding him. "No! Soul!" Her scream tore her vocal cords and tears burned her eyes.

"There is nothing you can do." Kid spoke from behind.

Soul stumbled backwards with the sword still through his stomach. "This isn't―" He coughed and blood splattered on the floor "the end." On unsteady feet, he kneeled to the ground and picked up his discarded sword. He breathed heavy and unregularly. His sword in his hands quivered. His shaky hand moved to the sword, with a powerful thug and a moan of pain, the sword was removed and blood poured on the floor.

"Soul…" She murmured. Despite the grave wound and the flowing blood soaking his shirt, he switched position. Her eyes widened when he raised both of his swords, the tip aimed at Asura. It was her fighting stance.

"Ye've lost."

Relief washed over her and her shoulders relaxed. There was no way Asura could beat Soul. He may be wounded, but his determination was great. One stab of his sword and the fight would be over. The ongoing battle would finally come to an end.

Asura snorted. "Ye think this's over?" A grin grew on his face.

"Ye've nothing. I on the other hand―" he cleared his throat and spat out saliva mixed with blood. "―have two swords an' a precious other to back me up."

"Oh really?" His smirk unnervingly widened to an inhumanly large grin. "But I have this." Soul's eyed widened when Asura's quickly retrieved a gun from his jacket.

Maka let out a loud cry of his name and jerked her shoulder free from Kid's grasp.

The gun went off.


	18. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Smoke rose from the muzzle. Maka's screams drained from the sound of her erratic beating heart. She ran toward him, only to be tackled down to the ground. She cried out his name filled with raw pain as he painfully slowly fall down to his knees with his hand covering the bullet wound. He fell with a crash onto the floor.

This couldn't be happening. This couldn't happen. This was supposed to happen!

Hot tears of pain and anger slid down her face as her breath quickens.

If only― if only she had been strong enough… strong enough to take down Asura before Soul got involved. Then… he would've been alive.

"SOUUUL!" Her hands fisted and snot ran down her upper-lip. She fought against the hands pressing her against the ground. "You monster!" Her eyes threw dagger at Asura slowly heading toward her beloved.

"Do ye want to end up killed?!" Black*Star sneered in her ear, putting all his weight on his knee on her back.

Maka let out an enraged scream, kicking her legs at Black*Star.

"He would want you to shut your mouth and _stay alive!_ " Kid hissed as he grabbed a hold of her legs.

They didn't understand. What she treasured the most _was gone_. He disappeared right in front of her and there was nothing she could do.

Asura broke out laughing as he came to a stop in front of Soul's lifeless body.

To hell with them. To hell with her life. _Asura was dead!_

Nobody took her Soul from her again without receiving death by her swords. She was going to rise higher than Shinigami and claim his soul to forever torture him in the afterlife. She had to avenge him.

His laughter suddenly came to an abrupt halt. Soul was unexpectedly on his feet and his sword went through his chest― right through his heart. The pirate Captain slumped against Soul and the gun clattered on the floor.

Arachne let out a high-pitched scream and her hands ripped at her hair. "No!"

Maka made sure not to look into Asura's eyes as life left his body.

"May Shinigami torment yer soul for eternality." Soul spoke as he pushed Asura's corpse over the railing. The water splattered, quickly followed by angry hollers from Arachnophobia's crew.

"Ye'll pay for this!" Mosquito shouted, swiftly drawing his gun. Aiming it at Soul.

Maka inhaled in fear. "Soul watch o―"

A gunshot rang through the air. But it wasn't Mosquito who pulled the trigger. She turned her head as well as she could and saw Liz with her gun aimed at Mosquito. Her eyes whipped back to Mosquito to right in time catch as he hit the floor. With a wound right between his eyebrows.

Soul groaned as he slid down with his back against the railing, his hand clutching his wounded side.

Tsubaki quickly hurried over to Soul yelling a "sorry!" to Free, receiving an "it's okay!"

The Gorgon Trio quickly drew their swords with enraged scowls on their faces. Immediately Black*Star and Kid scattered from her back and Maka took the opportunity, jumping up on her feet. She drew her swords from their holders and without missing a beat, she sprinted toward them.

The time had finally arrived to take _her_ revenge.

"Maka no!" Soul screamed and a coughing fit followed.

She didn't care. This was what she _needed_.

Battle cries erupted and both sides ended up charging. Maka's eyes stayed fixated on the golden eyes of Medusa's. The space shrunk. Maka leapt into the air and their swords clashed. The battle was unleashed. Swords colliding echoed around her. Groans of pain came.

Her eyes stayed fixed on Medusa's raging face. The only thing mattered was revenge. And keeping her dirty hands from getting to Soul.

She was going to protect everybody.

Maka stabbed air. Medusa barely missed her ear. Metal shrieked as swords fought to ward off the fighter's sword. Her eyebrows narrowed.

The bitch needed to die.

Feet skidded on the floor. Her anger fuelled her sword. One sidestep out of the way, one swing. Medusa hollered in pain. Her sword clattered on the ground. With her hand still gripping the sword. Blood erupted from the stub of her arm and she clutched her wound.

"Med―" Arachne was suddenly cut off.

Maka pointed her swords toward Medusa as she fell down to her knees. Tears fell from her eyes as she grunted in pain.

"Your evil days are over." Maka pointed her swords at her chest where her heart lied bedded in her flesh.

It was over. All she had to do―

"You can't do this." Medusa lifted her head and exposed large tears tumbling down her cheeks. "You can't kill me. I―I've a family. I've a child waiting for me at home."

Her heart ached for the woman before her. Her anger melted from her as she stared into her eyes filled with fear of her impendent death. She'd thought for years she'd lost a very precious boy. Her heart had been ripped to pieces and as the years went by, slowly pieces were connecting like a puzzle. But one piece would always be left out. A void had haunted her forever till she crushed on her Captain. Until her feelings were mutual. Only then did Soul return the missing piece to her puzzle.

Here she stood. A battle surrounding them and her swords at a dead aim. One thrust and she would be dead. But with her death would cause sorrow. The child of hers would end up motherless. She would've ruthlessly taken a child's mother away.

With her swords, she would cause hearts to split into thousands of puzzle pieces for them to solve for years. Experience pain no person should have to endure. At least not a small child. People would mourn their loss. Who knew how many puzzles she would create and how much pain and hatred she would fuel.

"Please." Medusa pleaded. "I beg of you."

Even though she'd caused her pain―

Her eyes fluttered shut and Maka lowered her swords.

― she simply couldn't consciously cause such a pain to someone else.

A cocky snort. "Ye're so weak." Maka's eyes snapped open. Medusa quickly pressed her sword against her throat. "Ye're a pathetic excuse of a pirate. Ye're a failure!"

Her gut twisted. How could she be fooled? She _knew_ Medusa was a manipulative evil woman. And yet, she'd fallen right into her trap.

But she couldn't die. She _refused_ to die.

"Die!" She swung her sword at her. A gasp escape and she backpedalled, stumbling on her feet. Her behind hit hard on the ground. Medusa hovered over her, her sword racing toward her. Instinctively she raised her arms. Flesh tore loudly and bone broke. Blood splattered on Maka's face and Medusa's sword clanged on the ground.

Her swords went through Medusa's chest.

Her eyes widened, staring right into Medusa's yellow ones. Slowly the sparks of life reduced and became non-existent. Her arms slumped down and her body slid down her swords to come and rest on her.

Everything smelled of copper. The blood on her cheeks hot as flames. Her eyes blank as they stared into her soul. Blood slid down her swords and soaked her hands.

Maka's mouth opened and closed. Eyes unable to look away.

What had she done?

 _What had she done?!_

She screamed. Her vocal cords painfully shook in her throat like an earth-quake. The blood soaking her hands and stained her face burned her skin. She let go of her swords as if the metal suddenly was heated to eight-hundred degrees. Fearfully she kicked her legs and tried to escape the lifeless body on top of her.

Medusa tumbled off her. Her body colliding with the floor and caused Maka to flinch. Her breath quickened as her hands entangled in her hair.

She'd killed her.

 _She'd killed her!_

Her face whipped to the side, cheek left stinging. Her eyes locked with Liz's blue eyes.

"Focus on me." She spat harshly, her hands lashed to her wrists. Who knew how long she'd tried to reach through her fit of fear.

"I― I― Liz… I―" She couldn't bear to utter the word.

Her hands abandoned from her wrists and roughly pulled her into a tight embrace. "It's over…" her tone changed to a feather light one. "We won… everybody's gone."

Gone. She meant… they were… they were all― she gulped and buried her face in the crook of Liz's neck. They'd succeeded. But to what cost? Lives were stolen. Robbed by humans in pain. Causing puzzle pieces to be scattered in the wind to never be complete again.

"Ye looked into her eyes, didn't ye?" She flinched at Black*Star's voice. "Man. Ye're stupid, lass. Even with a warning from yer God and ye still did it."

Her breath hitched and tears burned her eyes. She didn't dare to look him in the eyes. Her muscles weight with the trauma and fatigue.

"Star, this is not the time to scold her." Liz's chest vibrated against Maka's cheek.

"What?" He spoke with utter confusion. "I'm just pointing out the most obvious."

"You should learn when to close your mouth." Kid said. "Sid and Kilik should arrive with the ship any second now. Let's leave the ladies be and check out the Captain's Cabin."

"I'm in!" Black*Star happily chipped in as if not a manslaughter had taken place minutes before.

"Maka." Maka stiffened at how unbearably soft Soul's voice was. She hadn't even heard when he'd approached her.

She lifted her head from Liz's neck and found Soul kneeling in front of her with his jacket hung over his shoulders, his bare bloodied chest and his wound stitched. Around his neck hung her necklace with the bullet in it. From under it peeked red skin in the process of turning into a bruise. The prophecy did come true.

"S-Soul." Her voice cracked. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. Her lower lip quivered and she threw herself into Soul's arms. "I… I―"

His hand ran through her hair soothingly as he crushed her to his chest. "I know… I know…" His lips feathered over her ear. "We'll pull thr―"

An ear-piercing explosion cut off every noise and the floor shook violently. Soul tipped backward, taking Maka with him. Black smoke erupted from the hatchet and tips of flames were exposed.

"Sid is here!" Patty exclaimed from Free's side.

Maka looked up from his chest as saw indeed Shibusen sailing in full-speed toward Arachnophobia followed up by Stein and Marie's smaller ship.

"The explosives." Soul painfully groaned. Maka quickly got off him. "Fuck. Someone light the explosives." He got up on his feet.

"The ship will be swallowed by flames in only a minute!" Kilik shouted lying atop of Black*Star.

"Everybody evacuate the ship using ropes! There is no time to stop!" Soul held his side as his other wrapped around Maka's waist.

Her eyes widened as he started to drag her toward the railing, her feet stumbling over corpses of the crew aboard Arachnophobia. Arachne… Shaula… Mosquito. Their soulless bodies stared into the heaven. The flames flickered loudly as the black smoke caught on fire.

Black*Star and Kid were already on it. With their bloodied swords they cut ropes from nets for them to use.

"Wait Soul." Her eyes darted to Free slowly pulling himself toward the railing. "We've to help Free. He'll need our help to get over the railing."

His lips tensed and his nails dug into her side. "He won't make it."

Shibusen grew closer.

"What? No! We've to help him. He'll make it with our help!" She placed her hand above his.

"There isn't enough time. We've to save ourselves."

"I won't abandon him!" She pried off his hand and immediately darted toward the struggling Free. The flames rapidly spread across the ship and grew closer to the pirate Captain. "Free!" She dived to his side and gripped his wrist. "I'll help you."

The joyous glimmers in his eyes were gone as he sadly watched her tug at his wrist. For every tug, he barely moved faster than he did when he crawled. The inferno loudly sparked. The heat breaking out sweat on her face.

"Maka!" Soul joined her at her side. "You have to leave him. If you struggle more, you'll end up trapped in the fire!"

"No!" She continued to pull at him, the railing grew closer. If only she'd time. If only the flames slowed down, she would make it. She could save Free. She wasn't going to let him die. No way was she going to let him die. "I can save him!"

"Look at me." Free's hoarse voice spoke over the flames. She refused to look at him, sensing in his tone what was about to come. "I knew from the moment I broke me legs I was done for it."

"No you're not!"

"Shibusen is here!"

Soul cursed at Black*Star's announcement. "Everybody board the ship." He grabbed her shoulder. "We got to go!"

"No!" She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing back tears. She wasn't going to give up. She had to protect him! "You go! I'll stay and help Free."

"Maka look at me." Free's hand relaxed and he ripped his wrist from her grip. Her eyes snapped open to look into his tragic brown eyes. It didn't suit his cocky persona. "I owe ye me life. I'm not goin' to have ye die here."

She bit her lower lip and she snapped toward the railing. All her comrades were swinging from the ropes and boarding Shibusen. It was still a good way to go and the flames devoured the ship too quickly for them to make it.

But she had to save him!

"You have to listen to him." Soul's hand tightened on her shoulder. "He's giving us his permission to leave. To save ourselves. He knows what will happen. We got to leave."

Tears rolled down her cheeks as her hands balled. " _I can't!_ "

"Maka. People called me the Immortal Wolf." He offered her a grin. "I've escaped Shinigami multiple times before. I'll do it again."

"Free―"

His brown eyes directed to Soul. "Take her away."

Her lips barely parted before Soul yanked at her jacket. "No!" She struggled in his grip as he dragged her toward the railing. "FREE!" He grinned wide toward her, giving her a salute as the flames marched fast toward him.

Soul flipped Maka around and gripped the strap running over her chest. Shibusen's rear flashed the glamorous window at the Captain's Cabin and Black*Star hollering bloody murder at them.

They wouldn't make it.

Soul caught a swinging rope and both of them jumped. His grip on her straps tightened as both swung toward Shibusen. Soul grunted in pain. He let go of the rope and they soared through the wind. Rapidly they lost height.

They weren't going to make it.

Faster than lightning, Soul drew his sword and stabbed it in the wooden frame of Shibusen. Their bodies smacked into the glass window.

Maka casted a glance toward the ship in flames. The inferno eating the sails and a mast shrieked loudly as it fell.

A knock on the window caught her attention. On the other side of the coloured window stood Angela with a wide grin on her face, hands pressed against the window.

She offered her barely a smile before she redirected her eyes toward the ship barely keeping up with them. Marie standing at the front with her hands clenching the railing. "I'm sorry!" She yelled, chocking on her tears.

She couldn't keep any promises today.

* * *

Her knuckles were white. Her breath hitched as she violently scrubbed the blood from her hands. Her tooth bit her lower lip as tears tumbled down her cheeks. She had k― she left― the scrub dug into her red irritated skin as she continued to scrub harder.

She shook her head rapidly and her hair stuck to the trail of tears.

She had to pull herself together― Angela was aboard the ship. She had to be strong. She couldn't let her― _anybody_ see her like this. This was a day to celebrate. Arachnophobia was gone. With the competition out of the way, it was a smooth sail to Oni's Treasure. No one could stop them. The immortality was theirs.

Her breath hitched and she let go of the scrub. It plopped down into the now red water. Her skin ached, missing layers of skin and matched her equally red face. Even though she washed the blood from her, she still felt dirty. Her hands were still too red.

Laughter and songs were muffled from the other side of the door of the Captain's Cabin. Angela laughed loudly to Black*star's jokes and Sid, Kilik, and Liz sung loudly a victory song― a little too violent song when a child was present.

If she wasn't out there soon, she knew Soul would barge in and demand for her to speak to him. Even though when Tsubaki treated her wound, she refused to answer his "are you okay?", "You know you can't keep this bottled up inside" and "Fuck Maka. This will drive you insane!"

She didn't need to worry him with her pity problems. He was out celebrating. She didn't want to ruin their fun.

She threw the bucket of red liquid out of his window, got dressed in his clean shirt and a pair of pants Liz had let her borrow. The woman was a walking closet. Her eyes casted toward his desk where she'd hid her bloodied clothes for her not to see. There was no way she would accept what happened on Arachnophobia.

After putting her hair under her hat, wiping her tears and faked a smile, she exited Soul's nest. Angela was seated beside Soul with his too large hat on her head and a wide grin way too similar to Soul's. Sid, Kilik, and Liz had their arms around each other, swinging to the rhythm of the song with their glasses high in the air. On the other side of the bonfire sat Black*Star next to his wife, engrossed in a story-telling session to Angela. Tsubaki only stirred the pot of what smelled like tomato soup, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Sweet! Ye finally came, slowpoke!" Patty grinned wide toward her with her wooden bowl in her hands. "Dinner! Dinner! Dinner!"

Soul turned and instantly his worried eyes landed on her.

Such a beautiful picture in front of her. Joy. Glee. Delightfulness. So much happiness for their victory. And here she was struggling to keep herself from bursting. She didn't belong in such a picture. Not with hershipmates.

"Maka!" Angela shouted. She couldn't bear the utter excitement in her eyes. She leapt up from her log and sprinted to her. "Come! Uncle Black*Star is telling the story of when he protected you and defeated the Captain in your first raid."

Her shoulders stiffened. Throat clogging up.

Free…

Angela grasped her hand and pulled her over to the bonfire to take a seat beside her. Fortunately with Angela between her and Soul.

"Great. Now everybody's here." Soul casted a glance toward Maka's red hands. Consciously she pulled down the sleeves to cover up the irritated skin. He stood up from his seat with his glass of rum. "We've been through a lot." Black*Star quickly poured up a drink and handed it to her. With only a sniff she knew it was rum. "When we sailed through Death Passing we couldn't imagine what would lie at the end. I want to thank everybody who fought so bravely on the behalf of Maka's safety an' me selfish goal of takin' down Asura." Maka casted an eye at Angela's glass and was relieved when she saw it wasn't an equal golden liquid in her glass. Water. "That's why I want to make this offer to everybody. We don't know what's instore for us at Island of Lost Souls. I want everybody to have the chance to walk away. I can't guarantee we'll all return with our lives intact."

"The hell Cap'n?" Black*Star cocked his eyebrow. "Like we would walk away _now._ "

"Maybe not ye." Soul nodded toward Sid whose eyes widened for a split second. "But Sid has a wife an' and a kid waiting for him. I know ye joined Shibusen due to the bad economic. I could arrange a job for ye in yer town where ye could see yer wife an' kids an' work in a safe environment."

Sid's mouth hung wide open and eyes wide in disbelief. "Are ye serious?"

"As serious as I am a soul."

Sid paused, blatantly staring at Soul as if he'd grown a pair of extra eyes. "I appreciate the offer." He gulped and held the glass in his hands tightly. "But I can't leave now. I've sailed on this ship for years. We've just found the location of the treasure. I can't leave now."

Soul nodded respectfully. "This isn't a one-time deal. Whenever ye want to return to yer family, I'll help ye."

"I appreciate it. Thank ye Captain."

"Hey!" Liz grinned wide with a blush on her cheeks. "I'm stayin' too!"

"Me tooooo!" Patty sang.

Kilik glanced quickly toward Liz. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm here till the bitter end."

"If Black*Star stays, so will I." Tsubaki placed her hand on Black*Star's knee lovingly.

"I'M STAYING!" Angela jumped up from her seat and grabbed the edge of Soul's jacket, tugging it as she jumped happily. "I-I'll learn how to fight and I'll help you capture treasures and I'll cook food just like Tsubaki and tell awesome stories like Uncle Black*Star!"

His eyes were wide and the flame lit up his eyes. Playfully he ruffled her hat and she showed off a familiar smirk.

This was the moment she knew he'd been longing for. To become one with his crew. To receive the support and love his Captain's crew had given him. He'd earned their forgiveness and received their trust and support. Finally, he was one with the crew.

So why wasn't she smiling?

Kid rose from his seat with his glass of barely touched rum. "We're here to stay. Every single one of us." He raised his glass. "A toast to our Captain."

"To our Captain!" Everybody shouted and raised their glasses in the air. Glasses clinked from the crewmembers while Maka barely raised hers.

What is wrong with her? She should be smiling. She's ruin Soul's moment by being down. She shouldn't be selfish and make everybody worry about her.

"Cheers." She was barely audible. While Liz emptied her glass of rum, asking for a refill, Maka barely touched hers.

"I want to make a toast. Gotta show everybody how ye make A REAL toast unlike reaper pantsy here!" Black*Star stood up from his seat with his rum glass. "We fuckin' did great today! Our Cap'n fuckin' slayed on the battlefield an' the most amazing person; me beautiful Goddess. She showed great courage for runnin' to his aid an' saved his ass." He raised his glass up in the air to Tsubaki blushing brightly. "To Tsubaki!"

"To Tsubaki!" The glasses were raised and clang loudly to the sound of Tsubaki dismissing it as "it was my job" and "It was nothing".

"I-I want to make a toast too!" Kilik quickly jumped up on his feet before Black*Star even had time to sit. "Liz pulled the trigger an' saved our Captain from endin' up with a bullet between his eyes. She's one savage chick!"

Liz chocked on her newly refilled rum, coughing as she gazed shocked at the braided man. "K-Kilik."

"To Liz!" The glasses were raised and everybody cheered. Only a drunken fool― like Liz, could miss Kilik blush and shyly scratch his cheek.

Liz wrapped her arm around his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Yah so kind."

"I only spoke the truth." He stared into her eyes.

"Guess it's me turn." Soul jumped up on his feet. "I want to make a toast to our favourite Sprog."

Oh no.

"She's inspired me to do better an' become a better person not only for me crew, but also for meself."

Stop.

"She's reckless beyond belief an' braver than the bravest knight in shiny armour."

Just stop.

"She cares with her whole heart an' she's incredibly selfless."

They're all lies. She couldn't protect― Medusa was right. She was a failure.

"And she's the love of m―"

"Can you please just stop!" Maka dropped her rum glass. The glass shattered and the liquid soaked the floor. She fisted her shirt "They're untrue. I don't inspire. I'm not brave. I'm not selfless. You've got it all wrong."

"It's not true." Tsubaki said. "You've been so kind from the very start. You saved Angela. You generously gave her all of your food."

"Not to forget when you helped me realize there was more than work aboard the ship." Sid pitched in.

"Hmm," Liz nodded. "I 'now how hard it is to be in Angela's position. You're givin' her a new chance at life."

Tsubaki glared at Black*Star who took a large gulp of his rum. "What?" He groaned in pain when she jabbed him in the rib. "Oh. Oh! Yeah! Ye pulled me head out of me ass an' made me realize Tsubaki an' other women weren't _just_ great lovers." He snorted. "Not that I couldn't realize it by meself― Auch! Fuck! Ye've got some sharp elbows!"

Angela wrapped her tiny arms around Maka's waist and snuggled her head into her shirt. "You're the best!"

She tried to swallow the growing lump in her throat, but it was all in vain. Why did everybody lie? She failed. She failed F― she became who she didn't want to be. She'd tried so hard to keep her hands clean, but now― they would forever be tainted, marked with the stains of a k―

"Geez woman." Soul wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her as close as he could without crushing Angela between them. "Ye're the smartest person I know―"

"Hey― ouch, TSUBAKI!"

"― but right now ye're an idiot. How can ye not see how amazing ye are?" He gestured toward the others. "This ship was a dump before ye recklessly snuck onto me ship dressed as a male. Fuck. Ye straightened everybody's lives out an' directed everybody on the right path. Without ye, we would all be fucked."

He desperately sought for eye contact, feeling his red eyes burn into her cheek, but she refused to leave the sight of her white knuckles.

"Ye've saved me life in more ways than one." He soothingly rubbed her arm what would've given her butterflies in her gut, but nothing came.

It was because it was all lies. She was useless. A failure of a pirate.

She failed everyone.

"How about lightening the mood a little." Tsubaki grabbed a wooden bowl and poured some tomato soup into the bowl. "I think Maka deserves the first bowl for her bravery she showed aboard Arachnophobia."

"There would be no person more fit." Kid rested his elbows on his knees with his glass of rum in his hand.

Her gaze stayed low as she accepted the bowl and spoon from Tsubaki.

"Now, why the heck did everybody turn to _lass_ for advice? Yer God Black*Star gives way better advice than her―"

"Black*Star!" Everybody spat at him and he earned another jab to the ribcage from his wife.

She stared down into her soup as Tsubaki poured soup into bowls and distributed them to the other crewmembers.

It was the same shade. The same shade as the marks that forever tainted her hands. The same colour of the flames aboard the ship.

She shook her head.

She couldn't think about it. It was still an important night. Fake smile your way through the night.

Maka grabbed her spoon, scoped up a large spoonful of the red liquid. Her stomach twisted and begged her embarrassingly loudly for her to feast. The spoon moved to her mouth. A drop under the spoon grew larger until it dripped from the spoon. The drop splashed on her thumb. Instantly raging heat burned her skin. Red. Red drop on her hand.

Blood.

A gasp tore from her throat and her body jerked. The liquid left her bowl and splattered onto Black*Star.

Everybody silenced and everything that was heard was Maka's racing pulse and her rapid breathing. "What the fuck?!" Black*Star broke the silence.

Every pair of eyes was directed to her with uncensored concern. If they were worried, she didn't dare to meet Soul's eyes.

"I―" she swallowed "I― not hungry." The spoon clattered to the ground as she escaped to the Captain's Cabin, slamming the door loudly behind her.

* * *

It was never ending. Medusa haunted her dreams, clawing at her skin and dragging her own into a pool of her blood. Free hollered bloody murderer as the flames swallowed him whole. Every night, she would wake up drenched in sweat, breathing irregular and in panic. Angela would be sleeping peacefully next to her and Soul would snore loudly lying on the couch.

Every night, she would leave his nest to cool her burning skin and calm her racing her. Maybe write a journal entry to write off her feelings before she would throw the page into the sea in hope it would destroy them. Destroy the memory of what took place on Arachnophobia.

But this night was different.

She found herself in her old room. The good ol' storage room. The mattress pad had once again been returned to Soul's bed where Angela now slept on. The moon's light casted its rays on her undergarments pooling around her ankles. With her tongue at the corner of her lip and brows furrowed with focus, she felt the cloth move within her to the sound of the door opening.

"Hey―" she jumped in surprise and her eyes locked with the wide eyes of Soul's. "I'msorry!" He slammed the door shut.

She bit her lower lip. "What are you doing awake? The moon is still up." She pulled her undergarments up her long legs and threw the dirty water out of the window.

"Um, I woke up and you were gone." He paused. "I wanted to check on you."

The window clicked shut. She dragged her feet as she went over to the door. She grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. It creaked open and on the other side stood Soul with a blush dusted onto his cheeks. "You don't need to check on me. I'm fine."

His eyes hardened with seriousness. "You so aren't. Both you and I know that."

She groaned with annoyance and turned on her heel. "I'm fine! I promise!" The door clicked shut behind her.

"We're all worried― _I'm_ worried." His warmth radiated from his body on her back. His voice a low and husky. Just the way she liked it. "You're more jumpy than usual. Your skin is in a constant stage of irritation. You put yourself down at every moment you get."

"I don't―"

" _Yes you do!_ " His palm came to cup her shoulder, his thumb massaged circles on her bare skin. "You're hurting. I know what happened on Arachnophobia bothers you."

"It doesn't―"

"It does. You flinch every time someone mention Free and you become really gloomy when someone as much as hints toward what happened there." She flinched under his touch.

She was fine.

She was totally fine.

His hand ran down her shoulder, fingertips running down her exposed bicep and snaked around her waist, pulling her close to his chest. His warm infected her body and produced butterflies in her stomach.

Why now?

"You're not okay." He rested his cheek against her temple as his hands drew circles around her bellybutton. "Please Maka, let me in."

"I can't."

"Yes you can."

She shook her head. His voice was far too soft. Why was he so kind? She was a failure of a pirate. She let everybody down. Because of her― she gulped loudly― _he_ was with Shinigami.

"I can't. I'm a failure." She tried to swallow her sorrow rooting in her throat.

"No you're not." He inhaled loudly her scent. "You're just going through something tough. There's nothing wrong with being sad. We all just want to help you like you helped all of us."

"But I don't want to worry you. I don't want to be a burden."

"You're only worrying me more by shutting down." He squeezed her in his arms, possessively securing her in his arms as if he could protect her from herself. "I've been in your seat, y'know."

Her eyes widened when realization hit her with a ton of bricks. She'd completely forgotten. Every single person aboard Shibusen― except for Angela― had given Shinigami a soul to collect. Every single one of them had gone through what she was going through― and they were laughing and carried themselves proudly.

Maybe… he _could_ help her.

"How did you manage?"

"It's easy." She could hear the smirk in his voice. "I had Tezca. He would give me advice and whenever I was sad, he threw tons of jokes at me until I pissed myself laughing."

"But how are you going to get me to laugh? You've terrible humour."

"I do not!" He flipped her and she gasped in shock. He crushed her chest against his and his nose hovered barely touched hers. "Anyway, let's just keep this simple. Tell me everything that goes through that large brain of yours."

As she stared into his red eyes, equally red of the liquids that left Medusa's body, she actually found some comfort, knowing that he held the key to a peaceful mind. She trusted him in the past― and she still does. He wouldn't do anything to hurt her. He would help her manage the flashbacks.

He would help her, as she would help him.

"Thank you."

"Hmm?"

Her hands slid up and settled on his chest, her right palm resting right above his beating heart. How she would never want it to stop. Not on her watch. "For putting up with me."

"I'm just returning the favour." His fingertips tucked hair strands behind her ear before cupping her cheek. "Now tell me everything. We've got plenty of time on our hands before the others wake up."

The rest of the night was spent snuggled up together against a wall, her exposing her heart and Soul patiently listening to every word leaving her lips, occasionally nodding. He understood her like no other did. He understood her worry about her hands being forever tainted and how she never intended to take someone's life. He understood her more than she thought he would. He shared her past and this adventure she'd jumped into, of course he would understand how she felt. He always red her like an open book. Even though she tried her hardest to cover up her heart on her sleeves, he always caught onto the abnormal shift in the atmosphere. There was no way he _couldn't_ understand her.

The moon disappeared and the sun rose in the horizon, rays of light seeped through the window as Maka rested her head on Soul's shoulder. His head snuggled into her hair and his fingers drawing figures on her exposed shoulder, leaving behind goose bumps. She was lucky his shirt was so large it hung low on her one shoulder. His fingertips on her skin were addicting.

Shoes clicked on the floor on the upper level and Angela started to call for them, forcing them to stop their cuddle session. Damn it.

When they climbed up through the hatchet, she was surprised to be met with the bluest sea she'd ever seen. The sun's rays sparkled on the surface as if diamonds floated on the surface. Turquoise water met beach as pale as Soul's hair and at the side large boulders where the water crashed against. Humongous palms proudly reached for the sky, protecting the large dark mountain threatening to puncture the clouds soaring passed the tips.

Never before had she witnessed an island so beautiful.

Over breakfast Soul put his Captain voice to use and made a strategy of how they would find the treasure.

Sid would stay behind on the ship, guarding it if the mermaids or mermen got any ideas, signalling them if necessary. Tsubaki, Liz, Patty, Black*Star, Kilik, Kid, Soul, Angela and her would row to the shore. On the shore would Angela, Tsubaki and Liz stay behind to keep an eye on the sea, knowing that they were breaking into their territory, they needed to be careful. It was safer for Angela to play on the beach instead of being on the ship surrounded with water. She would be an easy target for the mermaids to pull her into the ocean. The next step, they would split up in teams of two, Kid and Patty, Kilik and Black*Star, and Maka and Soul. If any out of ordinary― _suspicious_ appeared, every team was given a signal tool, Sid would use his cannon, Tsubaki a horn, while the search teams were given what looked like guns, but they didn't operate like ordinary guns. Soul explained Kim had a long time ago bewitched the guns and instead of firing bullets, it fired coloured smoke, giving away your location for other people to come and aid. If the boat or beach team signalled, all search teams were to retreat, if a search team signalled, the others would come to their aid while the beach and ship teams were on their toes.

It was the perfect plan to make sure everybody stayed safe in the supernatural mysterious island.

As they row to the shore, everybody made sure to under no circumstances look into the water. She kept her eyes transfixed on Soul. If the stories about mermaids were true, malevolent half-human half-fish dragging men into the sea to drown, she was sure going to be extra alerted. No disgusting mermaids were going to get their hands on her man.

If she was a mermaid, she would've _loved_ to hypnotize a good-looking man like Soul and then kiss him and then drown him. The other mermaids would be stupid not to choose _him_.

But they better not. Even if she left her hidden knife and her swords behind… she would protect him.

They reached the shore and Angela excitedly ran up the shore and dived in the sand, Tsubaki followed her quickly as Liz leisurely strolled after them. The search teams were given a copy of the translated clue to interpret as they wished. Kid and Patty decided to search through the jungle while Black*Star grabbed Kilik and immediately started to head toward the spiky mountains because "it just had to be there!"

Soul grabbed a hold of her hand and started to drag her away from Angela. Quizzically she raised her eyebrow at him as her fingers entwined with his. "Where are we going? Shouldn't we be searching the woods or the mountains like the others?"

His shoes kick up stand as they continue strolling down the shore as if they were on a romantic walk instead of searching for a life-changing treasure. "I've a feeling where the treasure might be."

Her jaw hits the floor in surprise. "Y-you do?"

"Yeah. 'Where only mermaids reach or the souls of Shinigami'. It might only apply to this island, but I've a gut feeling mermaids _are_ able to reach the treasure."

"But that could only mean―"

"You're correct. The treasure should be by the shore."

"No. I was actually going to say the treasure _could_ possibly be protected by mermaids."

His mouth shaped into an O and realization hit him. "Yeah. That's a possibility." His hand squeezed hers. "But don't worry. We'll be extra careful."

How could she _not_ worry? They were on the island only mythical creatures lived and where the souls of the collected were at. One wrong move and they could have a two-headed giraffe after them. Or the souls of the damned after them. Or even worse, Shinigami himself.

They continued to pace along the shore, their boots leaving behind footprints in the smooth sand, proving they were the first to ever stroll down the shore. The exotic birds cackled, only reminding her of Royal Thunder and the unfortunate fate Ox had come to. She couldn't blame him for his choices, because feeding information to Arachnophobia had crossed her own mind. Even though, she felt sorry for his sudden death.

"Can I ask you something?" Soul broke the silence and his hand suddenly tightened on hers as if she would run away.

"Sure."

He came to a halt, forcing her to stop. His eyes pierced hers with unnerving seriousness. "I've been thinking a lot ever since… this whole thing started on Port of Demise…" Her stomach tightened, having a gut feeling of what direction the conversation was going toward. "I red your journal over and over when you were gone. I know your handwriting. You did really write that you wanted to be a part of Arachnophobia's crew."

Her eyes redirected toward the diamond blue sea in shame. "It's true." The words rolled off her tongue and surprisingly, it was like boulders were lifted from her shoulders. "When I was at home, I always heard so many good things about them. I was inspired to be as great as… the three… I wanted _that_." She inhaled and her shoulders rose to her ears as her eyes re-joined once again with his. "But then at the port, when I found out they were just lying and manipulative scums, I was so angry."

"So you were really going to sell all of us out to get a spot at their crew?" His voice dipped and his eyebrows narrowed and nose wrinkled with disgust. He ripped his hand from hers.

"NO! I mean― I did. I―I only _thought_ about feeding them information or give them something, I never actually made plans." She took a step closer to him in desperation, not wanting to lose him now after everything they'd been through. "I thought a lot about when they ambushed us and when I didn't offer my services to them, and it did confuse me. But Shibusen grew on to me and all of you became _family_ to me." She placed her palm against his warm chest and felt the erratic beating of his heart. "I gave up Arachnophobia months ago because I wanted to be with you. Shibusen became my home and I didn't have the heart to hurt all of you."

His hand joined above hers and his thumb warmly rubbed the back of her hand. A sigh of relief left his lips and his shoulders visibly relaxed. "I had a hunch this was the case."

Her eyes widened, but then again, she shouldn't be surprised. "Y-you did?"

"Yeah, after I found that love confession of yours in your bag, I was one-hundred percent sure your intentions were gone."

Her whole face heated up to a degree rivalling the sun. She'd completely forgotten about the note she'd scribbled down her feeling!

"Y-you weren't supposed to read that!" She retrieved her hand and immediately started to storm away with now the weight of humiliation on her shoulders.

A loud chuckle filled the air and his boots rapidly hit the sand. "I think it was meant for me. You _wanted_ to confess your undying love to me through a love letter―"

"Shut up!" her steps quickened as she heard him near her.

"You looooove me!" He sang teasingly.

"I don't!"

"You're in denial~!"

"I'm not!"

"You're in loooove with me~"

"Shut up!"

"You want to have my kids~"

"I d―" A gasp tore her throat. The ground disappeared under her feet. She fell. Her hands clung onto the rocky wall as sand and wooden boards were penetrated by large metal spikes. She swallowed thickly. She could've been a gone girl if her reflexes were any slower.

"Maka!" Soul dived just by the hole in the ground. "Grab my hand!"

"D-definitely." She grunted as she released one hand from the rocky wall and gripped Soul's extended hand. He pulled her up as she climbed up the wall until she was up, laying on the sand safely.

"Fuck." Soul ran a hand through his hair. "That was too close."

"No kidding."

Soul sat beside her and gave her still entwined hand a squeeze. "A booby trap can only mean we're close to the treasure." He heaved himself up on his feet, helping her up on her feet as well.

"What are we even supposed to search for?" She questioned as they continued to stroll down the beach, this time, a lot more careful where the put their feet.

"I don't really know." He shrugged his shoulders as he slightly swung their hands. Great. He was still high on the teasing that took place earlier. "You know what the stories say… large treasure chests… X's on the ground―"

Her eyes locked on large flat rocks near the shore, leading to a mouth of a dark cave disappearing under the surface. "Or perhaps a cave?"

"Yeah. That's a possibility."

She rolled her eyes at his obliviousness. Her hand escaped his as she grabbed a hold of his cheeks, squishing them in the process, as she directed his eyes toward the suspicious-looking cave among the water.

"That could be it." He spoke as well as he could with his lips squashed together. He removed her hands from his cheeks and ran his fingers through her hand. "Let's check it out."

Maka nodded. They headed toward the rocky side of the beach. They climbed on top of rocks and started to jump from one to the other. Soul insisted on taking the lead, if another booby trap would be triggered, he would be the one to take the hit. It made her grimace as she followed his steps. But what was more frightening that unknown booby traps were the thought of man-thirsting mermaids pulling him down and drowning him.

As soon as his feet left a rock, Maka was quick to jump to it, always staying close to him.

Soul and Angela were too precious to her. Her guiding lights in the dark. She wouldn't fail them as she failed… him. She would do it without the use of violence.

Soul's boots clicked on the surface as he landed in front of the mouth of the cave. Maka was quick to join him and automatically his hand found hers.

Maka squeezed her eyes together, trying to look through the darkness of the cave, but the darkness was too dense.

Her hand moved to the holster where the signal gun rested and instantly Soul gripped her wrist. "Don't." He took a step closer to the cave. "We're going to walk in the darkness."

"What?" Her eyes widened. "Are you insane? We could blindly walk into more booby traps or we could run into something even worse!"

"'Thy deadlights will lead the way in the darkness of night'. The clue wants us to walk in the darkness." Gently he tugged at her hand.

"You don't know that! It could just be a stupid metaphor Oni came up with that has no meaning!"

"I know. Deadlights are eyes. Our eyes will lead us through the dark. We'll be fine."

He seemed sure. He was the one who managed to find the previous clue with her help, he had more experience than her hunting for Oni's Treasure. She believed in him, she needed to trust him on this one.

"Okay fine." Her hand anxiously tightened on his hand. "Let's just do this."

She let him pull her into the darkness. "We'll be okay." His voice bounced on the wall as she carefully ran her feet over the ground to feel where the step disappear a notch. Carefully they descended further into the dark and the mouth of the cave grew smaller and smaller. The sound of water splashing against rocks grew clearer and echoed with the sound of their steps.

She bit her lower lip as they reached what felt like solid bottom. Her head darted backwards and the mouth of the cave was completely gone. They were completely surrounded by darkness.

Soul's boots ran over the surface of the floor, gravel rolling loudly under his soles. His hand squeezed her tightly as they silently moved forward. Skin slapped against rocky surface, running along the it.

It felt like they'd been in the dark for hours, but what was in fact only minutes. When were they going to reach the treasure? When were they going to find some sort of respond to their search?

"Soul―"

"Don't worry. Another couple of steps." His voice filled with calm and anticipation.

Another couple of steps and they could be trapped in a booby trap. Her stomach wrenched with nerves. Something wasn't correct. They were completely trapped in the darkness and _something_ was going to happen. Something _really_ bad!

"Soul." She tugged at his hand and stood her ground firmly. "This doesn't feel right."

To her relief, he came to a halt. "We're almost there. I can feel it." He spoke with so much excitement and anticipation of whatever would happen.

"Soul." Her hand squeezed his hand in an attempt to still her slightly trembling hand. "We're in an underwater cave. This could burst at any minute and we would _drown_. Or we could blindly walk into a booby trap and _die._ " She neared Soul and pressed herself against his back, resting her head against his shoulder blade. " _Please,_ Soul, we need to turn back."

Comfortingly he squeezed her hand and he turned around to properly wrap his arm around her back. He yanked her close to his chest and his warm breath hit her ear. "We can return." Immediately her muscles relaxed and a smile grew on her face. "But I'm going to go down here again. Alone." But it didn't last long.

Her body stiffened and the smile was wiped off her face. "No!" She shook her head violently against his chest. "I won't let you go al―"

A hand tilted her head upward and her voice was cut off with flesh pressed against the corner of her mouth. The flesh moved more properly onto her lips and she knew it was his lips. Her own relaxed and her eyes fluttered shut even though it made no difference. He led her through the kiss, moving his lips slowly against hers and she followed as well as she could. Sparks flew and her hand ran up his chest, up his neck causing him to shiver pleasantly, and entangled in his hair. She crushed his lips against hers, needing to taste all of him.

Last time they kissed, she was drunk out of her mind. The memory of their first kiss was vague. All she remembered is that it was _amazing_. Now she knew it was _mind-blowing._ It was a real shame she didn't remember the hot kisses after that, but Soul did.

Now she could get her refill.

His fingers ran over her spin, making her quiver in his arms. The bastard grinned wide against her lips, clearly enjoying the reaction he earned. Her eyebrows narrowed and yanked at his hair, his breath came quick and loudly.

The kiss ended and Soul rested his forehead on hers. His breath came hot on her throbbing lips. "I know you're worried." His lips feathered over her lips as he spoke. "But this is something I have to do. I've been hunting for this treasure for years. I know it's down here."

"You know I'm not going to leave you to do this alone." Her hand released his hair and cupped his rough cheek. "I'm coming with you."

"Thank you." He released her and their hands automatically clasped. They continued down the underwater corridor, this time more slowly. Maka supressed her sensation of uneasiness, consciously choosing to put her faith in Soul.

"I can see something."

Maka saw it too. In the darkness, there was a pale blue light. Their steps quickened and they light grew brighter and brighter. They made a turn and they were met with light. Still water lightning up the room, sun's rays travelled through the water and pale blue crystals shone brightly in the water.

"There it is."

Her head directed toward the lone dark brown chest on a small island of rocks in the water, with a trail of rocks leading to it.

A large grin spread on Soul's face and his eyes sparkled brighter than the diamond water. "We've finally found it!" Immediately Soul sprinted toward the ledge, skilfully skipped on the rocks and landed in front of the treasure.

A smile spread on Soul's face as he kneeled before it, his fingers placed on the rough and ancient chest. He yanked at the lid, but it didn't budge. Instantly Soul fished out― a spoon from his jacket.

"A spoon?" She spoke with disbelief. "I don't think a spoon will help us in this situation."

"Looks can be deceiving." Suddenly, he twisted the handle and separated the metal into two pieces. He inserted the handle of it into the keyhole and started to work at picking the lock.

Maka sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest. The cave was beautiful indeed. Crystals lightning up under the water and the high ceiling with crystals brightening the room. And the skeleton on the floor― She yelped loudly when she realized what her eyes set on at the skeleton half up from the water at the very corner of the platform she stood on.

"What's wrong?" Soul whipped around with concern visible on his face.

She gulped loudly and pointed toward the human bones. "Do you think it could be Oni?" She questioned as she slowly and cautiously neared the skeleton as if it would jump up from the water and attack her.

"It's possible. No other humans have managed to come here. It must be his remains." He returned to picking the lock.

She came to a stop in front of the skeleton. It was dressed in what seemed like old pirate clothing. White shirt similar to hers, pants with what must have been white knee socks and shiny shoe. His left leg was buried in stones on a path that resembled a stairway. That must've been how he died. The stairs weren't properly built and his foot sunk into the step and got stuck, then the tidal water came and drowned him.

This had to be Oni. There was no other possibility. It was clearly human remains and it was human clothing.

Her eyes darted to a parchment roll in the skeleton's hand. "I'm sorry Oni." She whispered as she grabbed the parchment roll, the bones weight heavy in her hands and its joints cracked loudly as she twisted the roll from its hand. She unrolled the scroll and was met with dark ink, no, it couldn't be ink. It was blood. The letters were hectic and the "ink" as uneven and unsteady. She couldn't seem to find any quill or a jar of ink, it had to be blood. The parchment roll was water damaged but still she could figure out the message.

 _My beloved Excalibur_

 _I have come to my end. There is no escaping Shinigami's gruesome claws. I apologize thee for not returning. I desired to create the last and final treasure hunt for us, but I failed thou. I wish thou could bestow a mortal like me with thy sincere apology for my failure. I never intended it to come to end like this. In my final treasure chest, thou will find my engagement rings and the book of powerful knowledge I acquired from Shinigami, the sea creatures, those from heaven, any magical creature! If thou ever find this, destroy it. I was a fool to write it, as thou always so elegantly spoke._

 _If the reader is not my beloved Excalibur, take the wise advice from a stubborn and foolish demon of the sea,_ _ **destroy the book.**_

The parchment roll rolled from her hands as the chest clicked open and Soul exclaimed with joy.

Could such a book exist? It had to do. A book that contained the secrets of every creature's world. She couldn't even imagine what great powers and dangers such knowledge could come with. It uncovered every hidden secret and culture of all the unknown and now known mythical creatures. If the knowledge fell into the wrong hands…

"What in Shinigami's name is this? I didn't imagine immortality would look like _this._ " Her eyes snapped toward Soul holding to large silver rings― male rings― in his hand and in his other, the knowledge that could destroy them all. It was bound with a dark brown leather bounding and dark red leather on it formed a silhouette of a demon with horns.

"Put those down!" She exclaimed and jumped on her feet.

He directed his gaze to her as he cocked his eyebrow. "Why? We finally found Oni's Treasure! Of course we're going to take it!"

She hurried to the beginning of the rocky trail to the island of boulders where Soul was seated. "We can't! Soul you don't understand―" she bit her lower lip as her hands balled. "Those rings are Oni's and Excalibur's! They are their engagement rings."

"How do you know?"

"And that book is Oni's work. It's dangerous beyond our understanding! We _have to_ destroy it!" Her shouts echoed in the cave. "Please Soul. You got to leave them behind! They have been safe here until now. We're the only ones who know about the final clue. We can destroy all the clues and no one will ever find his treasure. We got to leave this _behind!_ "

He snorted as he pulled out a leather sack from his jacket― how many things could he have in his damned jacket! He tossed the two rings into the sack and the book quickly followed. "As if. We found the greatest treasure on the planet! Do you understand what power it could give us? Only our reputation of finding the treasure will make every sailor and pirate quiver in their shoes." None of them noticed the dark shadow moving in the water.

"You don't understand what you're doing!" She exclaimed and she felt tears of desperation wheel up in her eyes. "You're making a _huge_ mistake! You can't even imagine what danger you're putting everybody else in by letting that book see the day of light!"

" _That_ dangerous can't it be." He started to jump back on the small rocks to her. "Come on Maka, that book could grant us _immortality_. We could live forever. We all could sail the seas forever. I wouldn't have to die. Angela wouldn't have to die. _You_ wouldn't have to die."

She bit her lower lip and her heart painfully wrenched in her chest. Who was the man in front of her? She couldn't recognize him. He didn't resemble the little boy she found swimming by the beach near her grandma's house. He looked like him, but the thirst of power and insanity had drowned the man she knew.

She had to take Oni's concerns seriously. The book could kill _everybody_. Her heart sunk to her gut as he pulled the signal gun from the holster and pointed it to one of the last people she wanted to harm. His eyes widened as he came to a sudden halt only a couple of yards away from her.

"What are you doing? You wouldn't shoot _me!_ "

She gulped loudly. Her grip on the gun tightening to hide her trembling hand. "Drop the sack."

"Maka―"

"Drop the sack!" Tears escaped her eyes and ran down her cheeks. "I'm serious! I'm dead serious. That book could destroy us all! If I have to― for everybody's safety― I _will_ do it!"

"Come on Maka." The vivid glimpse in his eyes was erased. His eyes was thrown back a year ago to the hatful and despicable man he ones was. He took a step closer. "You wouldn't kill me."

She pulled the hammer. Five shots loaded. Her blood ran to ice when she pulled the trigger. Soul didn't budge as the shot ran just by his head and hit the wall. It sparked to life, giving a bright red glow as it fell into the water, still glowing just as brightly.

"Don't play me." Her jaw tightened and her heart painfully wrenched at his cold facade as if he wasn't affected at all that she threatened to kill him. His oldest friend. "Now drop the sack before I kill you!" A shadow created by the signal gun in the water caught her eyes. It rapidly grew larger and larger as the unknown creature moved to the surface. "Soul watch o―"

The water splattered and a fish hybrid jumped into the air, hissing loudly. Human-like arms with webs between fingers locked around Soul's neck and pulled him into the water.

Her scream was caught in her throat as the water violently splattered as he fought the mermaid like creature. Without thinking, she dived into the water. Soul desperately tried to swing his fists and elbow the fish creature as it pulled him further down. Maka aimed her gun at the fish's head with tentacles as hair. A shot was fired and it hit her right in the head. The creature shrieked loudly in pain and let go of Soul, clawing at her face and galleys to get the signal substance off.

Maka swam toward the surface and gasped loudly when she broke through. Soul only two seconds after her, coughing up the sweet sea water. Both swam to the ledge and heaved themselves up on the platform.

"See?" She breathed heavily, sneering when she saw the leather sack was still in his hand. "This is what happens just because you're too stupid to realize the danger of that book!"

" _Me?!"_ He snorted as he unsteadily stood up on his feet. "This is your fault for not warning me earlier!"

"My fault?" She jumped up on her feet and her hand shook madly with anger. "If it wasn't for me, you would've drowned!" He was acting like a butthole. Was this finding showing his true self that he had in fact not changed from the sadistic pirate Captain of the sea?

"I would've been f―"

Water catapulted everywhere and splattered on them and on walls and floors. The not-so-beautiful mermaid hissed loudly at them, exposing razor sharp teeth and her tentacles as hair aimed at them threateningly. Her face burning red from the signal gun and her upper body have patches of dark blue scales. When she pictured mermaids, she pictured beautiful half-woman half-fish creatures, not ugly fish women.

Ugly fish woman road on a huge wave, moving toward them.

She grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the darkness of the corridor. The water crashed against the walls as Maka ran, dragging Soul after her. Her heart hammered in her chest. One foot in front of the other. The ugly fish woman hissed loudly and the water crashed against the walls, echoing in her mind.

The light came quicker than she thought and before they knew it, the sun's rays hit their skin, the water continued to crash against the walls in the underwater cave. "We have to hurry!" She exclaimed and she pushed Soul in front of her. Both of them jumped on the boulders toward the shore. She threw a glance over her shoulder. Water erupted from the mouth and the ugly fish woman appeared, a roar escaped her throat like a predator.

Maka aimed her gun toward the location where they'd left Angela, Tsubaki and Liz. She fired the gun and the shot went soaring, to explode into bright red light.

Water erupted around them and similar creatures hissed loudly, soaring toward them. Maka ducked at the mermaid soared passed her and dived into the water.

"Run faster Soul!" Maka hollered, hearing the crashing water nearing her. To her relief, she heard the beach team's horn. Good. They got the hint.

"I'm running as fast as I can!" He snarled. From the water burst forth another mermaid, her fish eyes set on Soul. She raised her gun once again and shot the mermaid. The shot exploded and she shrieked loudly in pain, landing back in the water. One shot left.

Their boots hit the sand and a breath of relief was on her way, but was quickly gone at the view of the ugly fish woman had gathered her other ugly mermaid friends. Still going toward them in full speed. Soul and Maka picked up their pace. They ran toward the beach team, Maka crossing her fingers the other search teams would've reached them.

Her breath was quick. The water hurricane still rode along the shore, the mermaids hissing at them with coral spikes in their hands. Oh no.

The coral spikes were thrown and come raining toward them. Immediately Soul jumped in front of her and cut away the coral spikes. The first good choice he'd made in a long time.

"Hey!" Never had she been so happy hearing Black*Star's obnoxious voice. Their weapons were already drawn and shots rang from Kid's guns. A mermaid hollered in pain and submerged in the hurricane of water.

"Maka!" Her eyes were automatically drawn to the small frightened girl.

"In coming!" hundreds― thousands― countless of coral spikes came raining down toward them.

"Angela!" Immediately she ran toward Angela, dived over her and tucked her head to her chest. Eyes squeezed shut as the spikes flew loudly. Spikes cracked and she directed her head up to see the black long jacket of Soul's, sword out and broken spikes dug into the sand.

The mermaids didn't stay in the water. Mermaids leapt up from the water and crawled surprisingly fast toward them. Gun shots were fired, screams of pain filled the air and more mermaids emptied the sea. Liz fired repeatedly at the same mermaid, the mermaid would take the hits head on as if the bullet was only pebbles being thrown.

Too many mermaids crawled up on the beach, greater than them in numbers and strength.

Rapidly they grew closer. If they didn't surprisingly gain some sort of magical defence, they were all going to die.

Her arms tightened on Angela as the circle of pirates around them fended off the creatures of the sea. It was a losing battle. All because of a book.

Her eyes widened at the sack in Soul's left hand. She released Angela and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Stay here." And she darted away. She snatched the sack from his hand and jumped right over a mermaid with her eyes seat on the sea.

"Maka!" Soul's scream but was immediately caught up with the mermaid.

Mermaids hissed and snarled at her, swinging their long nails at her. She ducked. Jumped. Kicked sand in their eyes. Did everything she could to get passed. Her booth splashed into the water and up erupt a mermaid― _merman_. Bare pale chest and an incredible long crooked nose. His claws raised and a large snarl on his face. She raised her gun and aimed it toward the merman.

A blood freezing and utterly horrifying scream appeared and she whipped her face around to see Kilik on the ground, his blood colouring the sand red. Angela screamed in horror as the mermaid headed right toward her.

She directed the gun toward the mermaid and squeezed the trigger. The shot hit the mermaid right in the face. Giving enough time for Soul to aid her.

But none to aid her.

She shielded her face with her right hand. The merman's claws tore flesh and broke bone, blood splattered. The gun tumbled from her hand and splashed into the water. Her scream of pain was caught in her throat as the merman tumbled down on top of her. Her body submerged in the water and he gripped her throat. Maka hit the arm. Repeatedly she hit his arm with her fist, simply hoping to be freed by the supernatural creature.

And hoping was enough.

The iron grip yanked her up from the water and released her throat. She inhaled loudly and found the pale merman staring at the sack in her hand.

"I-" she breathed heavily. Hopefully the merman would understand English. "I come with a message― to Excalibur." She coughed and held out the sack toward the merman. "In this sack is engagement rings he intended to use to propose to him." Maka placed her hand on her throat and massaged it gently. "And― and the book he wrote. Oni's last wish was for it to get destroyed."

The merman slowly reached his hand toward the sack and carefully took it from her.

"Please, deliver it to him. And destroy the book." His galleys slowly opened and closed. "And please forgive Soul. He didn't mean to steal from him." Okay, maybe she lied a little bit.

The merman stared at her with his simple dark eyes for what felt like forever. The merman hooted before he turned away from her and swam outward with the sack in his hand. She sighed with relief as she turned around, seeing the mermaids stopping and directing themselves toward the sea. The crew's weapons lowered as the mermaids slowly crawled toward the sea, crawling right passed her and diving into the sea.

It was finally over.

Liz cried out loudly, kneeling beside Kilik's body. Tsubaki sadly shook her head, fingers pressing against his throat. Her stomach wrenched in pain at the sight.

It couldn't be… Kilik was too strong…

She hissed loudly as she held her oddly angled arm close to her chest. She rose to her feet and water dripped from her soaked clothes.

Her heart sunk to her feet when her eyes landed on Angela's body lying on the ground. Her stomach twisted and fear blossomed in her gut. "Angela!" She exclaimed and started running toward her. Her head exhaustedly turned toward her. "Angela!" She hissed in pain when she jostled her arm, but she didn't care. Angela was more important than a broken arm.

She dived beside her and her heart was ripped from her chest at the large and deep claw wound on her tiny stomach. Guts were exposed and blood flooded from her body. "Maka." Her whisper was barely audible. "I can't feel my toes."

Immediately tears wheeled in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

No.

No!

No! No! No!

This couldn't happen!

She swore to protect her!

She shot the mermaid! She was supposed to be _okay!_

"Angela." Her lower lip quivered and she grabbed the young girl's hand in hers, squeezing it tightly. "You're going to be okay." She twisted her head. "TSUBAKI GET HERE IMMEIDATELY!" She returned her gaze to Angela. Her face as pale as the sand she laid on and lips bluer than the ocean. "You're going to be okay. You hear me?"

Her eyes were half-lidded as Tsubaki dived to Angela's side, her nose wrinkling at the sight of her large wound. But Tsubaki was a very skilled doctor. She could heal her. She was determined and kind and she possessed the greatest medical skills there was. She _had_ to be okay.

Tsubaki quickly unscrewed the lid to the upgraded ointment and started to smear the substance on her wounds. Maka held Angela's hand tightly as she watched her wound carefully, waiting for the blood to stop flooding and her skin to close.

But it didn't happen.

It never happened.

Tsubaki bit her lower lip as she hectically grabbed a roll of bandage and wildly unrolled it, pressing against her wound. Her eyes then connected with Maka's. Her eyes sorrowful and her tooth bit into her lower lip. Her expression allowed Maka to read exactly what was on her mind.

 _I can't fix this._

She shook her head. A sob tore at her throat and she lowered her head.

Angela was just a child!

 _She was just a child!_

She was her responsibility to protect!

"Maka." Her breathing turned shallow. "I'm…" her eyes turned blank as she'd seen Medusa's do. "I'm going to… meet father… right?"

She broke into thousands of pieces. Tsubaki knew. Angela knew. _Everybody_ knew she wasn't going to make it.

Her lower lip quivered. "I don't want to… meet daddy now."

Her very soul shattered. If she could, she would've taken Angela's place in a second. She would've taken Angela's place on the ground, bleeding out and Shinigami hovering over her body to collect her soul.

"I know." Maka whispered as she gritted her teeth. How could she let Angela see her like this? She had to be strong. She had to be stable for her sake. "You're not going to meet your father just yet." Flesh pressed against her shoulder soothingly and she knew it was Soul. "You're forever going to stay with us. I'm going to teach you how to handle the sails and to climb the net and teach you the art of swordplay. Black*Star will tell his wild stories and you'll become the star of one of them."

"I am?" Her whisper was barely audible and it absolutely ripped her to shreds.

Maka nodded as she guided her small hand to cup her tear-stained cheek. "Of course. We can start right when we return to the ship."

"That sounds…" Her eyes slowly fluttered shut as he neck relaxed "nice" was lost in the wind like a feather when Shinigami collected her soul.

Her internal dam broke and violent sobs shook her frame and tears flooded down her cheeks. Her body collapsed on the young child's and she collected her still body in her unharmed hand. Angela's name screamed for the whole island to hear her pain.

Soul's hand squeezed her shoulder tightly. "I'm sorry." He sobbed as he kneeled down beside her. "If I hadn't… If I had done what you said… Angela would've still been alive."

"It's not your fault." She cried out as Angela's blood was smeared all of her attire, forever marking her spilled blood on her hands. "You didn't have any intentions to hurt her." She sobbed. "There is nothing I could forgive you for." Her nails dug into Angela's soft flesh and the child's head slumped against her shoulder to rest on.

"Tsubaki needs to treat your arm." He spoke.

She slowly shook her head.

After all she'd done. After all the lives she'd failed. After all the lives she'd barged in on and changed because of her selfish desire to experience adventures, she didn't deserve to be treated. "I don't need medical attention." Her voice muffled against Angela's neck. "I just want to go home."

"The boat ride could hurt your arm."

"I don't mean Shibusen." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I want to return _home._ I don't want to be a pirate anymore."

Soul paused. His hand stiffened on her shoulder. In one move, he dropped to the ground and threw his arms around her. "No Maka― You don't mean that. We can get through this. I know we can."

She shook her head. "I don't want to live like this." She sobbed. "This dangerous lifestyle is only for the desperate. People _die_ on the sea. I've entered so many lives and what have I done? I've only gotten people killed. And for what? For my own selfish reason to experience adventures first-hand."

"But you've also _improved_ lives." Her neck grew wet and Soul's irregular breath hit her neck. "You've turned everybody's lives aboard Shibusen around. You could continue to improve lives and―"

"And watch other people die?" She pulled away from Angela and Soul's face lifted from her neck. "Free died because of me! I killed Medusa! Angela is dead because of me! Everybody is dying and I don't want to be around it anymore!" She stared into Soul's sorrowful and hurt eyes soaked with tears of his own. "I don't want to be around when you die."

"I promise you I won't die―"

"You can't promise me that!" Her head slumped down and met the red sand and once again bloodied pants. "Promises are meant to be broken. You're going to break your promise and then what? I don't want to witness another person dying on my watch." She squeezed her eyes shit and a sob quaked her body. "Just please, take me home. I don't want to do this anymore."

"But what about your adventure?"

"I've had enough of adventures. I already got enough adventures to share with my grandma." She moved her head against Soul's chest and buried her face in the curve of his neck. "Please. Take me home."

He silenced. His arms around her tightened and his lips pressed a hard kiss against her head.

"… As you wish."

Two weeks and four days later, they docked at the port late at night. Soul crushed her against his chest like he'd done since the moment of Angela's passing, trying to sooth her pain and perhaps change her mind. That night she couldn't sleep. Morning were soon about to arrive and with the sun soon rising, the crew and her beloved Soul would wake up. Carefully she escaped his bed and got dressed in her pants and shirt. She placed her green jacket on his desk, crossed the swords and placed her hat on top of them. With one final glance at Soul's chest rising and lowering, his eyeballs moving under his eyelids, she turned her back to the life she lived and exited his nest for the final time.


	19. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

The waves silently clucked against the strong frame of Shibusen. The familiar salty air tickled his nose as he rested his elbows against the railing.

Soul wished he was a wave.

The waves moved in the water calmly as if they hadn't witnessed countless of battles and devoured endless amounts of bodies and ships. They continued as if nothing could harm them and nothing could indeed hurt them.

He would trade his now useless life to become a wave, to become a meaningful drop in the ocean. Then, only then could he finally close his eyes without seeing the vision of Maka as a wreck as she held Angela's corpse in her arms and the empty bed he woke up in.

He knew it was his fault.

If he hadn't taken Oni's Treasure, the mermaids wouldn't have attacked, then Angela wouldn't be with Shinigami. If he'd only gotten to her when he saw the mermaid slip passed Kilik, he could've saved her. He could've kept the person closest to his heart. Then he wouldn't have to deal with her ghost haunting him. The swords hung up on his wall wouldn't painfully remind him of her. He wouldn't have to keep her jacket and hat visible as if she was still around. He wouldn't have to whisper his undying love and only receive silence.

They'd arrived late at night at the port where they had unknowingly been reunited, where he'd insulted her and where she'd damaged his ship just to become a member of his crew. The memory brought a smile to his face. How she'd dressed up in men's clothing in order to hide her aristocrat background, but she couldn't fool him. He knew one when he saw one. His heart would forever recognize her. He would forever recognize the familiar weight of her hand in his. Her green eyes staring into his as he waltzed with her like he did so many times.

She'd returned into his life like a tornado, completely turning his life upside-down and putting him on to the right path. She'd given him the world and he'd tried to return the favour, but nothing could even compare of what great influence she'd been on him. He wanted to help her, he desperately wanted to sooth her pain―

But he wasn't enough.

He'd watched her through his secret spyhole and admired her beautiful smile she threw to the crew, but none to him. He watched her as she cleaned the deck and laughed with Black*Star. He watched as she sat by the bonfire with the rest of the crew and ate their meals. Sometimes singing, sometimes sharing ghost stories. He longed to be a part of the circle and be seated by her. A knife would stab his gut and twist every time Kid placed his palm on her shoulder. He knew she was always well-mannered and nice and caring and beautiful and someone polite and gentlemanly, a person like Kid or his brother, would sweep her off her feet. His worst fear was he would lose her to Kid and then he would painfully have to watch her love _him_ while he'd to act like he wasn't bothered. Like they never shared a beautiful and tragic past.

But somehow, she liked him. _Soul Eater_ , not the little boy he left behind. Even though all the awful things he'd put her through, she still liked him. She kissed him, hugged him, shared a bed with him. She trusted him. He received what he'd been dreaming about for years, but he couldn't keep her.

Because he wasn't enough.

His heart twisted in his chest and his throat clogged up with the loss of her. Just like before, he was meant to lose her again. They weren't meant to be. He was never going to be the one to propose to her and receive teary eyes and a large grin as she squeaked "yes!". He would forever be hers, but she could never be his.

Living as a wave would've been much easier at the moment. He wouldn't have to deal with the loss and he could always stare at her when she visited the beach they met at and enjoy as she bathed in him.

He would have to painfully watch as she brought her husband along to bath to then follow by her kids. Then his heart would be completely gone and jealousy would take over him. He never wanted males other than him to be with her. Even when they were young, he put his own negative feelings about ballroom dancing aside in order to dance with her the whole evening so no other males would dance with her. He was selfish when it came to her.

"Soul."

He turned his head sideway to find Tsubaki strolling toward her. "Tsu', what's up?"

She joined him, resting her elbows against the railing. "It's a beautiful view."

He hummed in agreement. It was the same as any other view really. Just water and occasionally a ship coming or leaving the harbour. Nothing special. It wasn't a striking view as watching the love of his life battle alongside him. Watching the spark in her deep emerald eyes and the burning determination as she skilfully swung her swords. There was nothing more breath-taking than watching her focus and move her body so fiercely and so elegantly at once.

"No clouds seem to be moving toward us. We could probably light a bonfire tonight. Kid told me they're selling good-looking pork at the market."

"Sounds good."

"And with Patty's help, I've made an apple pie for dessert."

"Cool."

"And maybe when pigs fly, we could jump into the water and feed the sharks."

"Yeah. Sounds like a good idea."

She sighed loudly and massaged the bridge of her nose. His eyes fluttered and directed toward her. He'd spaced out again. "You're thinking about Maka, right?"

His eyes fluttered closed and he nodded dejectedly. "Yeah." He exhaled loudly and rested his chin on his hand. "I just… don't know how I'm supposed to let go of her."

"You do realize you don't have to let go of her, right?"

He cocked his eyebrow as he turned toward her. "What?"

"You are both aristocrats. There will be nobody to say you can't marry her." She spoke with sincerity. Since the day Maka left, he told the rest of the crew about their secret identities. Black*Star's eyes had almost bulged out of his head with surprise and Kid had only brushed it off, already having a feeling both of them were from a higher class based on the way they conducted. Black*Star of course started to boast about already knowing it and saw through his cool and sadistic persona.

"I don't think it's that easy. Maka don't want to re―"

"But _you_ could follow _her_. Sid has already left the crew to be with his family. You're without a carpenter. You haven't made a move to start looking for a new scout or a carpenter even though we've stayed at this harbour for _weeks_." She tilted her head at him, the golden ring wrapped around her finger glistered in the sun's rays. "What are you waiting for?"

What was he waiting for?

Maybe there was a tiny candle of light inside of him, just hoping to wake up by a whistle and to find Maka standing by the ship.

Maybe he was hoping to wake up and discover all of it was a sweet dream just to find a letter with a large splosh of ink at the bottom of it.

Maybe he simply wanted it all to end. Just waiting for _something_ to happen.

"You found Oni's Treasure. You completed your goal you set years ago. What do you want to do now?"

He… didn't know.

His plan was always to acquire the rumoured immortality and offer it as an engagement gift to Maka to stand out from the countless of suitors. After all of these years, his goal had always been Maka. For her to accept his hand in marriage and spend the rest of his life with her. But it had all backfired when the treasure-hunt for Oni's Treasure was meant for Oni and Excalibur and his treasure was only stupid engagement rings.

After all those years of hunting and rivalry with Arachnophobia, of losing his Captain and crewmembers, he finished with absolutely nothing.

"What if she's already married?"

"If you keep waiting around here, you'll lose her for sure."

He chewed on his lower lip and massaged his neck.

What was he going to do?

"You could end up like Liz." His gaze moved over to the older sister seated on the log by the bonfire, leisurely painting her nails. The missing glimpse of life in her eyes captured his attentions. Her eyes were windows to her soul and he saw only pain and sorrow. "Kilik was infatuated with her. But she was too busy eyeing Kid she didn't notice him and when she did, he was gone."

He gulped and quickly looked away from her, instead focusing on the soothing waves hitting Shibusen's sturdy frame. He didn't want to be sad forever. He didn't want to miss her and long for her his entire life. He didn't want to be half a person because of her absence. He didn't want to grieve her.

"Before Black*Star entered my life like a hurricane, it was all routine and everyday problems." Slowly a smile blossomed on her face and her eyes sparkled like a rising sun in the morning. "The little time we had together made me realize he was the person I needed in my life. I fell quickly for him and he became my home." She spun around on her feet and aimed her body toward the obnoxious right-hand-man performing push-ups. "A home isn't always a place, it can also be a person." She pushed herself away from the railing and went over to Black*Star, leaving Soul more confused than when their conversation started.

What was he supposed to do? He loved her desperately and he couldn't be with her. Love her. Be her rock to lean on when things were tough. He couldn't be beside her and enjoy the gift of life.

"Oh Cap'n~"

He sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. He turned around to find Black*Star seated with his legs crossed and a large grin on his face. "What's it?"

"I think I got something to pull that thick head out of yer asshole."

He raised his eyebrow at the blue-haired monkey.

His eyes glimpsed playfully as his hand dived inside of his blue vest, retrieving a large bundle of… letters?

"Is that…?" His fists tightened. "If that's what I think it is…"

"That's right!" He waved the large stack of letters in the air proudly. Tsubaki tried not to giggle. "Months worth of love letters from none other than yer precious Maka Albarn!"

* * *

Returning home wasn't a walk in the park she quickly came to realize. Tsugumi, her chamber maiden, dropped her basket of laundry at the sight of her and tears immediately welled up in her eyes. The young woman threw herself at her and tackled her to the ground and wailed loudly how much she'd missed her. Her parents were soon out and all the servants in the mansion greeted her with warm hugs.

Everybody she missed was there.

Except for her grandma.

Sadly her father placed his palm on her shoulder and her heart shattered to pieces.

Her grandma had fallen ill two months after she left home to experience adventures first-hand. She'd died six weeks later. Marie and Stein weren't just sent to bring her home, but to also inform her of her grandma's illness. When Marie and Stein arrived to the mansion, receiving word that she was home and well, Marie broke down crying and told her she didn't have the heart to inform her about her grandma's state of health knowing she was heading into a dangerous battle. They both feared she would do something self-destructive if they knew, and they were right. She most likely would have.

She locked herself in her room for the upcoming months. Curtains drawn and face buried in her soaked pillow. Tsugumi would knock on the door, silently enter to the sound of her weeping. Cautiously she would set a silver tray with food on her nightstand that would stay untouched. Thoughtfully she would give her new pillows for her to soak while she cleaned her tear-stained pillows.

She stayed in her bed. But when her mother's obnoxious and headache-inducing steps of her heels echoed outside of the corridor, she threw herself up from her bed and blocked the door. She refused to speak to her mother. Her mother hadn't changed in her absence. The moment she returned home, her eyes had widened and she'd pointed at her broken arm with disgust. Without a question of her health, she asked about any other scars or broken teeth, moaning in agony about the struggle to find her a husband.

Marriage was always the only thing on her mind.

What if she could think about her health instead? Hear her out on what happened in her absence. Care about what had happened to her instead of nagging at her to start planning a dinner party to find her a husband.

Her father had been more understanding about her pain. The door would shriek open, peeking his fiery red head through the crack and slowly slip inside of her room. He would throw the curtains apart and the sun's light would assault her eyes. She would throw a fit of anger and ball her hands. He would embrace her tightly and her anger would drain and be replaced with raw pain.

She felt sorry for despising her father in her childhood. For simply hating him because she caught him first having an affair with a maiden. At least he cared how she felt than her mother did.

Her father was more understanding of her pain revolving Angela and Free. He understood when she asked a painter to come and to paint pictures of them from her description. She hung the pictures on her walls in memory of those two who inspired her and protected her. They were gone because of her and she promised she would honour their memory. She would honour their lives by moving on.

She'd written letters to her beloved. She informed him of her safe journey home and as the days passed, her letters took her journal's place. She wrote everything down in her letters and sent them to her beloved Soul. As months went by and countless of letters sent, she still didn't receive a single one from him.

She wrote a letter to Wes Evans, her beloved Soul's brother, to come and visit her. Three weeks later he and his family were in the Evans family's summer mansion. Over a cup of tea in the garden, she told him of her adventures and the mask Captain Soul Eater wore on daily basis. At first, Wes didn't want to believe it, rushing away with hurt in his throat and fists balled. But he came around.

Her last task at moving on was rolling when she asked her mother to plan the dinner party to find her a husband.

Tears burned her eyes and pain clogged up her throat. She ripped at the hair pins in her ridiculously wavy hair and threw the pins on the ground. She shook the fluffy mess and pulled at her curls.

Even through it was months since she'd left Shibusen, weeks of grieving the sudden news of her grandma's death and the already casualties she carried on her shoulders, she thought she was ready to move on and get engaged.

Tears shimmied through her eyelids and rolled down her cheeks. She raised her hand and bit on the tip of her awful purple glove, taking it off and threw it on the ground.

"Maka!" Wes yelled from behind her. "Wait! You cannot give up!"

"What!" She whirled around and clenched her fists. "He's _not_ coming! He's living his life! He hasn't responded to _any_ of my letters! He's already forgotten everything about me…" The thought stabbed her right in her heart and painfully twisted. Even though she hadn't heard a word from him since she left him and Shibusen behind, she was _still_ as deeply in love with him. She thought she was ready to move on and let go of her past aboard Shibusen… but she didn't want to forget about him. She loved him and as much as it pained her, she couldn't live with the fantasies of him returning to her with his darn smug smirks. He'd moved on, now she had to do the same.

"He's _a pirate Captain!_ " Wes raised his voice as he went from running to walking. Slowly he neared her. "He could be anywhere. It is difficult for your letters to reach him if he is constantly sailing the seas. Maybe you could postpone this dinner party―"

Her hair whipped her face with the force of her headshakes. "No." The practise engagement ring on her finger threw knives into her heart as if it was a target. "I'm sick and tired of dreaming and hoping when it's useless. If he really wanted me, even if he only wanted to visit me, wouldn't he have done it by now?" She bit her lower lip as hot tears rolled down her cheeks. "He's not coming. He doesn't love me. He doesn't want me."

"You were a blinded fool when we were young." Comfortingly he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I was with him. All year around. I saw how he acted when you were not around. I saw every dreamy expression he made when your name was mentioned. He was constantly longing for summer to come so he could see you again. He could even recite your favourite things in his sleep." His thumb massaged her collarbone. "He has been gone for over a decade, and I know his feelings never evaporated when you were apart. I know they will not disappear simply because you left his ship."

She shook her head and her puffy hair stuck to her tearstained cheeks. "You don't understand."

"No, Maka, I think it is you who do not understand. Do not underestimate my brother's emotions. It will come back to bite you."

"And I wish it would." She sniffled and moved her hair away from her face. "I miss him."

"And he misses you." A hopeful smile spread on his face. "Maybe you could push the dinner party up a few weeks to go and search for him? If you came in contact with him, maybe it would clear your mind to make an informed decision?"

She shook her head. "No." She wiped her tears away from her cheeks. "His absence speaks volumes. Even if he might not have received my letters, why haven't he written one to me?"

Wes sighed and his eyes fluttered closed with defeat. "What if you have gotten married and he returns? What will you do then?"

Her hands fisted at her sides. " _If_ he was to return, I would greet him and welcome him into my home. I would show him how happy I am and how leaving Shibusen was exactly what I needed. I would show him I was no longer crippled by my over-attachment to him and show him just like he has, I have moved on."

"We both know that would be a blatant lie to his face."

"Maybe a blatant lie is exactly what we both need." She clasped her hands together, her fingertips ran over the warm golden ring on her finger. "I know you love your brother dearly. I know you wish only the best for him, but I'm not what he wants anymore. He's striving toward something different. Toward something greater than both of us can't understand. His heart is with the sea and the piracy, it's not with me. Not anymore."

"Maka―"

"Please." She backpedalled from his grasp and squeezed her soaked eyes shut. "I can't wait any more. I've waited long enough already. I need to move on and embrace my life. Just like he has done with his."

Wes let out a deep sigh. "So you are going to give up on him?"

She bit her lower lip and swallowed down her hurt. "I'm not giving up. I'm simply choosing not to hurt anymore."

"If that is what you think is right." His hands tightened at his sides. "I will see you at the dinner party then." He bowed low toward her. She curtseyed in returned before he turned his back on her, walking away.

She knew Wes treasured his brother dearly and as much as it must hurt him also, she couldn't wait any longer for him. The sea had his heart. He'd abandoned the life of an aristocrat a long time ago. They lived in two separate worlds. Their lives were never meant to cross again.

Her heart wrenched in her chest as she headed toward the beach.

But that didn't mean she would stop loving him. It had always been Soul. Even when she met him, it had always been him. The decade apart didn't change that. And the separation months ago didn't change that. She left her last puzzle piece on Shibusen. Nothing could ever make her whole again.

The beach came into view. The water didn't glimmer in the setting sun like the water by Island of Lost Souls had done. The water was an ordinary dark blue and the sand a pale brown. Nothing like the seas she sailed on or the sand she walked on.

She ripped off her heels from her sore feet and dropped them on the grass. If only she could wear her comfortable boots instead of too small high heels. Her feet touched the smooth sand and wiggled in between her toes as she marched toward the sea in front of her. She reached behind her back and found the strings to her corset. Her fingers pulled at the strings roughly. The corset loosened and she ripped at it. She stopped and dived into the skirt. The under iron skirt held the multiple layers of fine purple silk of every shade up. She sniffled as she knocked the skirt over. Her hands moved to wipe her tears away as she headed toward the water. Without a care in the world, she pushed down her last piece of clothing down her legs.

The cool late spring water touched her feet. As she went further out, the water rose from her ankles, to her thighs, to her waist. She inhaled and dived into the water. It enveloped her and for the first time in a couple of days, her external world was silent. Her mother wasn't yelling at her to be her best for the ball. Wes wasn't urging her to pursue the impossible. Only her raging thoughts and needs for Soul's warmth, for his smell and his touches.

Within twenty-four hours she would accept another man's proposal. But how could she when she was still so emotionally attached to him _._

She cried of frustration. Bubbles escaped her mouth and rose toward the surface. She pushed herself upward and broke through. Her scream of pain tore at her vocal cords. Her hands clawed at her hair to smooth out the ridiculous curls. Tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped on the surface.

Who was she kidding? Whoever she would marry, whatever riches he might have and whatever positive and desirable personality traits he might possess, he wouldn't be Soul _._

Her fine nails dug into her cheeks as she breathed heavily.

Who was she kidding? She would rather grow old alone and miserably miss him and love him than bring a man down with her. At least she would spare the man's life of unrequited love. She couldn't do it to another man, she couldn't marry someone else. It would be a betrayal to Soul _._

She didn't care if she would cry every night for the rest of her life. She didn't care about spending the rest of her life alone. She didn't care about a life of loneliness and loveless because she couldn't betray him.

She couldn't let go and move on.

She breathed heavily as she pushed her wet hair away from her face. Her breath hitched and more tears leaked from her eyes.

"Do you go and flash yourself to every suitor?"

She whirled. Her eyes widened, threatening to bulge out of their sockets.

There was no way.

As handsome as she left him, Soul smirked wide toward her on the beach. His hands shyly shoved into the pockets of his familiar black jacket and a cocky grin spread on his face.

Her lower lip quivered. Slowly she moved toward the beach. "Soul…?"

"In the flesh."

New tears rose in her eyes. She ran. The water splashed as she ran straight for him. His arm spread wide open, welcoming her into his embrace. Her fists tightened. She growled and her fist connected with his jaw. "How dare you return and sound so cool and casual about it?!" She shouted as Soul groaned her name, a hand rubbing his sore jaw. She wiped away the tears from her cheeks. "You haven't been answering _any_ of my letters and I haven't heard a single word from you and you dare come here and act so cool and unbothered as if we haven't talked in _months_!"

"Maka…" He whispered as she sobbed loudly.

"This can't be real… this is just an illusion…"

His hand comfortingly rested on her shoulder. He pinched her flesh.

His hand didn't disappear. His warmth injected into her body and heated her from her cold swim in the sea. Slowly she uncovered her eyes and was met with a small smile playing on his lips.

"I'm not an illusion." He removed his hand from her shoulder, wiggling out of his jacket. He handed her his jacket as he whipped his head to the side with a blush playing on his cheeks. "You should probably… put it on. Spirit would murder me if he saw us now."

Her body stiffened. Slowly her gaze lowered at her completely naked body. Her cheeks heated up to a degree rivalling the sun. Quickly she threw on his jacket and buttoned it closed. Her creamy tights were still at display, but it covered up her private areas.

His eyes moved back to her and he shoved his hands in his pockets. "I'm sorry I haven't been answering your letters. Black*Star happened."

Her eyes fluttered quizzically. "Black*Star?"

He nodded. "He thought stealing all of my mail would be a good idea."

"Oh." The leftover anger she felt melted from her. "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have punched you."

"It's okay." He wets his lips. "I deserved it. I would've been hurt and angry if I was in your shoes."

"It's no excuse. I shouldn't have taken out my anger on you. I should've figured out the letters didn't reach you. I know if you had red them, you would've replied."

"Nothing could stop me from replying to your letters."

Silence hung heavy between them.

He was standing right in front of her. She could reach him and touch him. All of those fantasies of Soul coming to visit her. She created every scenario of greeting, throwing her arms around him and hugging him tightly, smashing her lips against his, breaking down crying in front of him and a vomit of words would rush out uncontrollable.

All of those perfect scenarios, and she stood in front of him, not touching him. Simply stood in front of him and shyly avoided his eyes as if they were kids again.

"Soul―"

"Maka―"

Their eyes locked and Maka smiled sheepishly. "You go first."

"Oh no. Ladies first."

"No, I insist. You first."

"No, you f―"

"Can you just go first?" Her cheeks heated up to an unbearable degree as she fiddled with the golden button on his jacket. "Please?"

He cupped his neck and massaged it nervously as his eyes met the ground. "Yeah, I suppose I could go first. I didn't really think I would be this ner―" His eyes widened. Pain blossomed on his face and his tooth sunk into his lower lip. "Have I come too late…?" He whispered with defeat in his voice.

Her own heart twisted with pain at the obvious pain he wore on his face. She raised her eyebrow and followed his eyes― to her engagement ring.

Oh no.

"No! It's not what it seems." The golden metal burned her skin and instantly she ripped the offending piece of jewellery and dropped it in the sand. "It's my mothers." She kicked sand over it. "She wanted me to practice accepting a proposal so I would still look elegant and lady-like since she thinks I act like a tomboy." She stomped her foot on the sand as if burying it deep would make all his pain go away. "Which is a little ridiculous since I'm acting the same as I did when I left so I don't really know why she thinks I act more like a boy than a lady. She thinks just because I dressed in men's clothing for over a year she thinks it completely eradicated my feminine side which is totally wrong because―"

His hand grabbed her fisted one. Her eyes snapped up to meet his now soft and relieved ones as he gently held her hand in between his. "You're rambling."

She swallowed. "Sorry."

"It's alright. But I figured if you keep stomping like that, you would definitely break bones."

Her heart made summersaults in her chest. "So… what was it you were going to say?"

"Oh… yeah." His hand tightened on hers. "It was just… you know… I got your invitation to the dinner party… for you to find a mate." He suddenly slapped his forehead and she jolted with surprise. "I'm such an idiot!"

"Huh?!" She watched his neck shrunk to his shoulder.

"I… shit… I should've thought of it before!" He pointed shyly toward his jacket. "I forgot to take out a thing… from my jacket."

"It's alright. You could just t―"

"It's in the inside pocket."

Her face heated up and her eyes widened.

Of all the places… Of all the places it had to be in it was in the inside pocket!

"Um…" She bit her lower lip. "You can take it… if it's important."

His eyes fluttered and his mouth opened and closed. "Y-you sure?"

She nodded shyly. "I mean… you've already seen me naked… it's not something new…"

"I know but―" His hand tightened on hers. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"It's fine." Her hand squeezed his reassuringly. "It really is."

"O-okay…" He visibly gulped and removed his hand from hers. "H-here I come." His hands reached the button on the bottom. He unbuttoned the first one. "Are you sure―"

"I'm sure."

"J-just wanted you to be sure…" He unbuttoned another button. "If you want me to stop, just say so." She rolled her eyes at his flustered form as he slowly and cautiously unbuttoned button after button. More skin was exposed and he respectfully looked away. The last button was unbuttoned and warily his hand pressed against the inner fabric of his jacket, away from her exposed skin. His bright cheeks radiated embarrassment as his fingers ran over the opening of the various pockets.

His hand kept searching for the right pocket and she rolled her eyes at him. "Exactly how many pockets do you have? How on earth can you store so many items in your jacket?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. I've never counted them. And you know a pirate always has to be prepared."

His fingers wiggled into a pocket and retrieved an object. "There." His eyes returned to her when she finished buttoning his jacket around her naked frame.

Her eyes fluttered when she caught sight of the dark wooden box in his hand. The pearl? Yes of course. He must've used it to find her on the beach. But why were his hands shaking?

He cursed as his hands tightened on the wooden box. "I always imagined this going smoother in my head." He fell down on one knee. Her eyes widened and her hand flung to her mouth in shock. "I'm a simple man. I don't have prestigious titles to my name. I don't have any wealth. I don't have a fancy large mansion. And I can't offer you immortality." He opened the box and indeed, it wasn't the pear, but a simple golden ring. "All I can offer you is my undying love and a promise to love you forever."

She was smiling. The corners of her lips were by her ears and her hands were shaking with excitment. Tears rose in her eyes and heart hammering in her chest.

"I failed to come on your eighteenth birthday. I'm here to take a shot and ask for the great honour of marrying you."

Tears broke through and slid down her cheeks with joy.

Her everything kneeled in front of her. Everything she'd ever wanted was in front of her with a golden ring and a promise of eternal love.

In front of her stood her past. Her present. And now her future.


	20. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

She twisted the golden ring around her fingers with a small smile playing on her face. Her elbows rested on the railing on the balcony of their cute house. The silk of her short robe slid off her shoulder and she stared at the lake by their home.

Concern weight down her shoulders as she leisurely spun her happiness around her ring finger.

The balcony door creaked open. She glanced over her shoulder finding her husband in his silk robe and messy hair.

"Did I wake you up?"

He shook his head as he approached her. "No." His arms snaked around her waist and he buried his face in the crook of her neck and shoulder. "You know, I don't like waking up alone in the bed."

"Hmm?" She hummed as his lips planted kisses on her exposed shoulder.

"Last time I woke up alone, I didn't see you for months and when I did see you, you wore an engagement ring on your finger."

She rolled her eyes and placed her hands above his. "It was just a practise ring." She allowed herself to lean into his embrace and let his body heat her cool body. Her tooth bit her lower lip as he ran his lips up her neck. "Soul."

He stopped. Feeling the change in the air. "Yeah?"

"Are you happy?"

"Yes. I'm ecstatic." He answered without a shred of hesitation. "Why you asking?" He nuzzled his face into her neck and inhaled her scent.

"It's just…" She sighed heavily and rested her head against his. "We've settled in our home. You've a stable carrier as a pianist. Our everyday life has turned into routines and everyday problems."

"… and?"

"Don't you miss the piracy? Don't you miss your crew and Shibusen and the excitement? Are you really happy living this life? Are you happy being Soul Albarn instead of Soul Eater?"

He sighed heavily and he squeezed her close to his body. "You're really asking me if I'm happy with you, aren't you?"

She bit her lower lips and she nodded slowly.

He chuckled heartily into her ear before he planted a kiss on his cheek. "I'm happier than I've ever been in my entire life." His lips feathered over her ear. "This was always my dream. Being with you was always my goal throughout my life. Just like you, I didn't have any intentions of being a pirate forever. I was going to help Tezca find Oni's treasure and then I would return to you. That was always the plan."

She sighed with relief and turned her head toward him, noses touching comfortingly. "Really?"

"Absolutely." He pecked her forehead quickly. "Let's go back to bed. It's late and I could use a cuddle session."

She giggled and kissed him quickly. "You're such a cuddle bug."

"Only when it's with the right person."


End file.
